Given name & surname · also Norse, Scandinavian
Osborn
“a bear of God”
Osborn is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “a bear of God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a bear of God.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Scandinavian and Old English naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Osborn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 603
- 603 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1923
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,645 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −29%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,645 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 22 in 1923. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 265 as a first name in 2020; 31,099 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Osborn’s family of names
In English usage, Osborn has a diminutive in AUSSIE. In English usage, Osborn has a later derivative in OPIE. In English usage, Osborn has a related form in Osborne.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Osborn
- Osborn BerginIrish linguist (1873–1950)
- Osborn Maitland MillerScottish-American cartographer, surveyor, photographer and botanical collector1897–1979
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Osborn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Goodwin
“a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Winthrop
“from the friendly village”
>99% boys
Goddard
“one who is divinely firm”
77% boys · 23% girls
Nelson
“the son of Neil; the son of a champion”
99% boys · 1% girls
Chauncey
“an office holder; keeper of records” · “having good fortune”
>99% boys
Jefferson
“son of JEFFREY” · “the son of Jeffrey”
>99% boys
Curtis
“one who is courteous; polite”
>99% boys
Clifford
“from the ford near the cliff”
>99% boys