Onesimus
Onesimus was a Christian mentioned in the New Testament. He was a slave to Philemon, a Christian, and is the subject of Paul's Epistle to Philemon.
- Biblical
- Biblical Latin
Meaning & Origin of Onesimus
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Onesimus was a Christian mentioned in the New Testament. He was a slave to Philemon, a Christian, and is the subject of Paul's Epistle to Philemon.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Biblical
- Biblical Latin
The Story of Onesimus
American parents first put Onesimus on the record books as a baby boy name in 1982, with 9 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1982, when 9 Onesimuss were born — ranking #4,234 that year. About 36% of every Onesimus on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Onesimus last appeared in the published SSA data in 2020, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 50 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Onesimus
Phonetically similar names — useful when Onesimus is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Winsomeness
- Oneness
- Vincennes
- Consenus
- Mumpsimus
- Winsome
- Windiness
- Winsomely
- Winema
- Handsomeness
- Handsomest
- Venomous
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Onesimus
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About the name Onesimus
Onesimus is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1982 and has accumulated 50 births in the dataset. Onesimus's peak popularity came in 1982 when it ranked #4,234. Use the chart and map above to compare Onesimus's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1982 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "O" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.