Oziel

Meaning of Oziel

Oziel—pronounced oh-see-EL in Spanish and OH-zee-el in English—is the lyrical Iberian heir to the ancient Hebrew Uzziel, meaning “God is my strength,” a phrase that resonates like a bronze psaltery struck in a sun-washed cathedral. The name first flickered in the Book of Exodus, where Uzziel appears as a Levite kinsman of Moses, and later drifted through late-Latin scribal hands into the softer vowels of the Romance tongues. Today, Oziel threads a quiet but steady course through American birth records: since the mid-1960s it has hovered in the 600–800 range, cresting at 720 in 2024—a statistical hum that suggests a discerning cadre of parents rather than a tidal wave of trend-chasing. Its consonantal “z” offers a dash of modern zest, while its theophoric meaning anchors it in venerable spiritual soil, making Oziel a name that wears equally well on a newborn’s hospital bracelet and on the parchment of ancient genealogy. Dryly put, it is both rare enough to avoid playground confusion and familiar enough to spare future baristas a spelling meltdown—a pragmatic little miracle entirely in keeping with its etymology.