girl's name
Octavia
ok-TAY-vee-uh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 28,156
the United States
#308
2025 births
Octavia is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "eighth". It is the feminine of the Roman family name Octavius, and Roman naming really did use numbers this way — an eighth child, or a child born in the eighth month of the old ten-month calendar.
- Octavia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2021, when 1,238 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,376 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Octavia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 289 |
| 1890s | 404 |
| 1900s | 491 |
| 1910s | 802 |
| 1920s | 853 |
| 1930s | 524 |
| 1940s | 421 |
| 1950s | 665 |
| 1960s | 849 |
| 1970s | 1,672 |
| 1980s | 3,119 |
| 1990s | 3,028 |
| 2000s | 1,492 |
| 2010s | 2,917 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,591 |
What Octavia means
Octavia means eighth, from the Latin octavus. Roman families named children by number more readily than modern ones, and the practice survives in Quintus, Sextus, Septimus and Decimus as well.
Where Octavia comes from
Octavia is the feminine of Octavius, from the Latin octavus, eighth. The Roman calendar before Julius Caesar began in March, which is why October is the eighth month and still carries the number in its name. The most consequential bearer is Octavia the Younger, sister of the man who became Augustus and wife of Mark Antony, whose position between the two of them shaped the end of the Republic; her brother's own name before adoption was Octavius. Modern use owes something to the novelist Octavia E. Butler, and the name appears in our records in every year from 1880.
Octavia in use
Octavia appears in our records from 1880 and charts in five of the seven countries we track.
How popular is Octavia?
In 2025, Octavia was given to 982 babies in the United States, ranking #308 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Octavia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Octavia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Octavia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Octavia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Octavia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Octavia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Octavia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Octavia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Octavia
What does the name Octavia mean?
Eighth, from the Latin octavus. Romans commonly named children by number.
Why does October mean eighth?
The Roman calendar began in March, so October really was the eighth month. The name survived the calendar reform.
Who was Octavia in Roman history?
Octavia the Younger, sister of Augustus and wife of Mark Antony — a central figure in the end of the Republic.
How popular is the name Octavia?
In 2025, Octavia was given to 982 babies in the United States, ranking #308 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Octavia a girl's or a boy's name?
Octavia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Octavia?
Octavia has 4 syllables.
When was Octavia most popular?
Octavia peaked in 2021, when 1,238 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Octavia?
Octavia is usually shortened to Tavi and Via.
Is Octavia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Octavia currently ranks #275 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.