Oswald
Oswald is a male given name: 99% of people named Oswald are men, and it is recorded as male in 9 of the 9 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- Medium (8 to 63 weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Austria, Switzerland
- US births since 1880
- 3,973 male / 0 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Oswald
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Oswald," in English, "Guten Tag Oswald," in German. Oswald is a male given name: about 99% of people named Oswald are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Oswald,
German
Guten Tag Oswald,
French
Bonjour Oswald,
Spanish
Estimado/a Oswald:
Chinese
Oswald您好：
Japanese
Oswald様
English
Hi Oswald,
German
Hi Oswald,
French
Salut Oswald,
Spanish
Hola Oswald,
Chinese
Oswald你好：
Japanese
Oswaldさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | uncommon | man's name | 100% |
| Austria | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Germany | rare | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
3,973 male · 0 female · 3,973 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oswald a male or female name?
Oswald is a male given name: 99% of people named Oswald are men, and it is recorded as male in 9 of the 9 countries covered.
How do I address Oswald in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Oswald," in English, "Guten Tag Oswald," in German. Oswald is a male given name: about 99% of people named Oswald are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Oswald a unisex name?
Oswald is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Oswald are men. Oswald leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Oswald a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/oswald (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_oswald,
title = {Is Oswald a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/oswald},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}