Given name & surname · also Old English
Oswald
“the power of God”
Oswald is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the power of God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the power of God.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
Its Old English formation brings together os (“god”) and weald (“rule”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Oswald through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,407
- 4,407 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 107 babies
- 2025
- 67
- #2,161 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +59%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 67 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,161 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 58.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 107 in 1916. In 2025, Arizona and California and Ohio shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,810 as a first name in 2020; 13,878 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.
Oswald’s family of names
In English usage, Oswald has a diminutive in Ozzie. In English usage, Oswald shares a linguistic root with the German form Answald. In English usage, Oswald has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Osvaldo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Oswald has relatives in 14 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
16 related names in 14 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Oswald
- Oswald SpenglerGerman historian and philosopher (1880-1936)
- Oswald MosleyBritish aristocrat and fascist politician (1896–1980)
- Oswald AveryCanadian-born American physician and medical researcher1877–1955
- Oswald GraciasCatholic cardinalborn 1944
- Oswald AchenbachGerman artist (1827-1905)
- Oswald VeblenAmerican mathematician (1880–1960)
- Oswald of NorthumbriaKing of Northumbria604–642
- Oswald KülpeGerman philosopher (1862-1915)
- Oswald von WolkensteinGerman poet, composer, and diplomat1377–1445
Characters named Oswald: Penguin (supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications and related media), Prankster (DC comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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If you love Oswald, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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