Ora
Feminine
Ora is given to both — 39,278 girls and 5,616 boys since 1880. See Ora as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Ora is three letters that four different languages can claim, and no record survives to say which one nineteenth-century American families had in mind when they used it — which they did, in large numbers.
How old is the name Ora?
Ora was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ora alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. About 8,200 people named Ora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ora most popular?
Ora peaked in 1881, reaching #104 nationally. Today it ranks #3712, 3,608 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Ora
Our story of Ora begins with a word that half of Europe already had a use for. It is a prayer in Latin, a light in Hebrew, a shoreline in one reading and the end of a longer name in another — and in the nineteenth-century American South it was simply a name people gave, often to a daughter with an Ora or a Cora somewhere earlier in the family. Nobody wrote down which meaning they meant. What survives is the fact that thousands of them chose it, and that it worked equally well whichever of those things it was.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Several readings, none established. The Latin ora is an imperative meaning 'pray', from orare. The Hebrew ora means 'light', the feminine of or. Ora is also a plausible clipping of Aurora, Cora or Nora, and a Latin noun meaning shore or edge. The American records give no indication which of these was intended.
Pronouncing Ora
OR-uh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Hebrew speakers say oh-RAH, with the stress at the end.
Nicknames for Ora
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1918859 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #104reached in 1881
- Change vs 2022
- −2.4%40 in 2025, from 41
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ora in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ora in Hebrew — same name
- Ora in Italian — same name
- Ora in Albanian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Ohio.
Oras among us
people named Ora are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 40,182 born in 2025 was named Ora
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Ora
- #3712
- Ora on the 2025 chart
- #910
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Ora went to 40 girls in 2025, but Orah is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 50, which makes it the 910th most-given girls’ name of the year — 2,802 places above the chart.
- Ora40
- Orah10
About 1 girl in 32,145 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 40,182 for Ora itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Ora sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ora is headed
Ora should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ora beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ora in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Three letters, two syllables, and legible in almost every language that uses the Latin alphabet.
- It is a real and current name in Hebrew as well as in English records.
- It is genuinely rare now while being entirely traditional in American use.
- It has no settled meaning, and the candidates come from unrelated languages.
- It is very short, which can leave it overwhelmed by a long surname.
- The name is period-coded to the late nineteenth century in America.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ora to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Ora? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Ora
Feminine · #3712 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Oras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 8,200 people named Ora are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Ora?
- Ora is the most-used spelling in US records — 40 of the 50 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Orah.
- How popular is the name Ora in 2025?
- Ora ranks #3712 among US girl names in 2025, with 40 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ora?
- About 1 in every 40,182 US girls born in 2025 was named Ora — 40 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ora with classmates?
- Ora will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ora
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Barrett#3712 · October#3712 · Aubrianna#3712 · Mishka#3712 · Berkleigh#3712 · Zailey#3712 · Zaiya#3712 · Monet#3712
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ora? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ora and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle