Ulysses

Origin: Latin (from Latin Ulysses/Ulixes, doublet of Odysseus) — Variant of Odysseus

Boy's name · #1201 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Ulysses holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#1201 in 2025). About 19,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Ulysses is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Ulysseses

Ulysses S. Grant — President of the United States from 1869 to 1877
Ulysses Llanez — American soccer player
Ulysses Guimarães — Brazilian politician and lawyer (1916–1992)
Ulysses Kay — Composer (1917–1995)
Ulysses Davis — American film director

In stories & tradition

Ulysses Bloodstone — Strange Tales (comics)
Ulysses Paxton — Barsoom (novel series)
Ulysses — Marvel Comics

What Ulysseses become

Among 120 notable people named Ulysses:

Military figures appear 2.94× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ulysses G. McAlexander, American instructor (1864–1936).

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variant Ulises (#1043), Ulysses would rank around #703 with about 380 births last year — the newborns split about 56/44 between Ulises and Ulysses.

Similar names: Ulises · Laurence · Gus · Jules · Hugh · Sidney

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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