Given name
Ozzie
“a spear of the gods”·“a friend of deer”·“having great strength”
In English use, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oscar. Interpretations include “a spear of the gods” and “a friend of deer”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts. Ozzie is an affectionate form of Oz. One Hebrew interpretation is “having great strength.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oscar. Interpretations include “a spear of the gods” and “a friend of deer”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts. Ozzie is an affectionate form of Oz. One Hebrew interpretation is “having great strength.” In English use, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oswald. One English interpretation is “the power of God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oscar. A possible origin is Irish Gaelic, although the derivation remains uncertain. In English use, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oswald. An origin associated with Oswald is Old English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oscar. In English usage, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oswald.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1887. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oscar. The history of Oscar gives this family its wider story. Oscar’s naming history includes an association with the Ossianic poems popularized in the eighteenth century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ozzie through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,177
- 3,214 boys · 963 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 190 babies
- 2025
- 164
- #1,455 for boys · #3,694 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +124%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 77% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 123 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,455 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 78.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 41 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (20). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,069 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ozzie’s family of names
In English usage, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oscar. In English usage, Ozzie has a related form in Ozzy. In English usage, Ozzie is a diminutive of Oswald.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ozzie
- Ozzie Nelsonactor, band leader, television producer and director (1906-1975)
- Ozzie Albiesbaseball playerborn 1997
- Ozzie GuillénVenezuelan Major League Baseball player, coach, managerborn 1964
- Ozzie NewsomeAmerican football player, executiveborn 1956
- Ozzie Virgil Sr.Dominican Republic baseball player (1932–2024)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Ozzie, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Odin
Odin is a masculine given name from Old Norse. It is used in Norwegian Nynorsk.
>99% boys
Bodie
“one who brings news; a herald” · “one who provides shelter or is sheltered”
98% boys · 2% girls
Onyx
“as precious as the stone”
82% boys · 18% girls
Ocean
“sea”
56% boys · 44% girls
Otto
“a wealthy man”
>99% boys
Ari
“resembling a lion or an eagle”
62% boys · 38% girls
Orion
“the huntress; a constellation”
97% boys · 3% girls
Aziel
“of the dry earth; resembling the flower” · “one who is spared by God”
99% boys · 1% girls