Ovidio is an Italian name of Latin origin, derived from the word 'ovum', meaning egg. It is predominantly used within Italy and its territories, particularly in regions like Campania, Abruzzo, and Molise. The name Ovidio has been historically associated with the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso, often simply known as Ovid. However, it is not known if there was any direct influence of the poet's name on this particular Italian name. In its feminine form, Ovidio becomes Ovida or Ovidiana, though these are less common variants. The name Ovidio does not have a widespread international usage and remains primarily an Italian tradition.
The name Ovidio experienced fluctuations in popularity over the years, with a significant increase in recent times. From the 1920s to the mid-1960s, the number of births with this name ranged from 5 to 17 per year, reaching its first peak in 1969 with 17 births. The popularity then declined until the late 1980s, with fewer than 10 births each year between 1972 and 1988.
However, since the early 1990s, there has been a resurgence in the name's popularity, with a noticeable increase in births each decade: from 16 in 1991 to 21 in 1992; from 14 in 1994 to 19 in 1995; and again from 8 in 2002 to 15 in 2003. This upward trend continued into the 2010s, with a significant jump from 7 births in 2010 to 30 in 2022, followed by another peak of 32 births in 2023.
Overall, the name Ovidio has been chosen for 1019 children over the past century.