Ossie

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Ossie

Pronounced AH-see /ˈɑː.si/Medium

Meaning: Ossie began as an affectionate short form of names built on the old Germanic element 'os', meaning a god or divine power, chiefly Oswald ('god-power') and Oscar ('god-spear'); in the early nineteen-hundreds it was written on birth records as a stand-alone boy's name.Medium

In 30 seconds: Ossie is an old-fashioned pet form of Oswald or Oscar, both carrying the Germanic 'os', a god (said 'AH-see'). It was a genuine early-1900s boy's name.

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Origin MediumEnglish, Old Norse

MeaningOssie began as an affectionate short form of names built on the old Germanic element 'os', meaning a god or divine power, chiefly Oswald ('god-power') and Oscar ('god-spear'); in the early nineteen-hundreds it was written on birth records as a stand-alone boy's name.

U.S. rank (2014)#13509 ↘ Falling

2014 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1919

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,677

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ossie is a friendly short form that families once gave as a full first name. Its parents, Oswald and Oscar, both draw on the Old Germanic os, 'a god', joined to 'power' in Oswald and to 'spear' in Oscar, so the nickname quietly carries a warrior-and-divinity sense.

It was never a common choice, cresting around 1919 at only a few dozen boys a year and thinning to rarity after mid-century; a man named Ossie today would be a grandfather or great-grandfather. It has not joined the recent vintage-name revival.

Did you know? Ossie belonged to the World-War-One generation of American boys: it was scarce even at its 1919 high of only a few dozen a year, and had all but vanished by the late twentieth century.

Overall data confidence 60%

References — Ossie — pet form of Oswald/Oscar; Old Germanic 'os' element

Variations

OssyOzzie

Nicknames

Famous Bearers

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If you like Ossie…

Oscar— one of the parent names Ossie shortens, sharing the 'os' root

Oswald— the other formal name behind Ossie, same divine element

Otis— a short vintage boy's name with the same antique, warm ring

Alfie— another affectionate short-form-as-first-name of the old-fashioned era

Explore names like Ossie

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ossie mean?

Ossie is a short form of Oswald or Oscar, both built on the old Germanic 'os', meaning a god.

How do you pronounce Ossie?

It's said AH-see /ˈɑː.si/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ossie a boy or girl name?

Ossie is used here as a boy's name, as a short form of Oswald or Oscar.

How popular is Ossie?

Ossie was always rare and is a genuine early-twentieth-century antique, scarcely seen since mid-century.