| Dev | Om | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God; divine | The sacred syllable |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | DAYV | OHM |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1969 | 1983 |
| Peak year | 2009 (145) | 2008 (153) |
| In 2025 | 126 | 66 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Dev | Om |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 690 | 411 |
| 2010s | 1,188 | 920 |
| 2000s | 975 | 968 |
| 1990s | 147 | 17 |
| 1980s | 85 | 5 |
| 1970s | 56 | 0 |
| 1960s | 5 | 0 |
From Sanskrit deva (देव), 'god, deity, divine one', from a root meaning 'to shine'. A simple, ancient word meaning 'divine'.
From Sanskrit Om (ॐ), the sacred primordial sound and mantra regarded in Hindu tradition as the essence of the universe. Used as a name it carries that whole spiritual weight.
Dev is more popular than Om today: about 126 US babies were given the name Dev in 2025, compared with 66 named Om.
Dev means God; divine (sanskrit origin), while Om means The sacred syllable (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Dev first appears in 1969 and Om in 1983, so Dev has the longer recorded history.