Orlo
Masculine
Orlo belongs to a small group of nineteenth-century American men's names that end in a bare o — Milo, Otho, Arlo, Theo, Orlo — a shape that was fashionable for about two generations and then disappeared almost completely.
How old is the name Orlo?
Orlo first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Orlo alive today was born around 1923, making them about 102 years old. About 100 people named Orlo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Orlo most popular?
Orlo peaked in 1895, reaching #738 nationally. See the whole 1895 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Orlo
The ending is the interesting part. An o at the end of a man's name is Latin and Italian grammar, and nineteenth-century American families borrowed the shape without the language, because it sounded finished and slightly grand. It produced a cluster of names that look related and are not: Milo from a Latin one, Otho from a Germanic one, Arlo from nowhere anybody has traced, and this one, which could be either a clipping or an invention. The word itself has a life elsewhere: in heraldry an orle is a narrow border running inside the edge of a shield, from a French word for a hem, and in architecture the same word names the plain band at the foot of a column. A hem, a border, an edge — an accidental set of meanings for a name that sits at the edge of the record.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source is documented. It may shorten Orlando, it may be a home-made name from the same decades that produced Orval and Orvis, and no record distinguishes them. The readings offered — gold, famous land — are borrowed from other names that merely resemble it.
Pronouncing Orlo
OR-loh
Two syllables, stress at the front. Nothing in the spelling is ambiguous.
Nicknames for Orlo
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
- 1881
- Most boys named
- 191540 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #738reached in 1895
- Change vs 2020
- 0.0%5 in 2022, from 5
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.
Orlos among us
people named Orlo are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Orlo sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short, firm and carried by almost nobody alive.
- The shape is familiar even though the name is not, because of the company it keeps.
- It is read correctly on sight.
- It will be heard as Arlo, Otto or Orville, all of which are close by.
- The name belongs entirely to one American era and has never returned.
- No meaning can honestly be attached to it.
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Orlo
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Orlos are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Orlo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Orlo in 2025?
- Orlo is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Orlo with classmates?
- Orlo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More O names
The most-given names starting with O, all years combined.
Oliver#3 · Owen#31 · Oscar#223 · Omar#260 · Otis#652 · Orlando#871 · Otto#277 · Orville#6143
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Orlo? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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