Orpha
Feminine · “nape of the neck”
Orpha comes from a single verse in the Book of Ruth. Orpah is the daughter-in-law who turns back — the one who does the sensible thing while Ruth does the famous one.
How old is the name Orpha?
Orpha was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Orpha alive today was born around 1918, making them about 107 years old. About 700 people named Orpha are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Orpha most popular?
Orpha peaked in 1885, reaching #263 nationally. See the whole 1885 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Orpah to Orpha
The story of Orpha
The Book of Ruth opens with two Moabite widows, Orpah and Ruth, and a mother-in-law telling both to go home; Orpah agrees and Ruth refuses, and the book follows Ruth. Protestant families reading the Old Testament closely took names from every part of it, including this one. Orpha appears in American registers through the nineteenth century and peaked around 1885.
Meaningscholars disagree
nape of the neck
From the Hebrew Orpah, usually connected to oreph, 'nape' or 'back of the neck' — read by commentators as a reference to her turning away. That reading may be a rabbinic gloss on the story rather than a genuine etymology. A connection to a word for a fawn has also been proposed.
How the name formed
- Orpah
- Orpha
Related forms: Orpah · Orpah
Pronouncing Orpha
OR-fuh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Orpha and Orpah are said identically in English.
Nicknames for Orpha
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
- 1916192 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #263reached in 1885
- Change vs 2012
- 0.0%6 in 2024, from 6
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.
Orpha in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Orpah in Hebrew — spelling variant
- Orpah in English — spelling variant
Orphas among us
people named Orpha 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
Orpha has already lived its whole cycle: it rose, had its era, and has stepped off the charts. The fashion question is behind it — what lies ahead is the waiting room where revivals begin, once a name's first generation has grown distant enough for it to sound fresh again.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A documented biblical source, and an unusual one — the name is not a common borrowing.
- Two firm syllables that stand up well against a long surname.
- It is genuinely rare while being entirely traditional in the registers.
- The proposed meaning is a rabbinic reading rather than a settled etymology.
- The biblical bearer is the one who turns back, which some families will weigh.
- It is strongly period-coded to the nineteenth century.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Orpha 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 Orpha? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Orpha
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Orphas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Orpha are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Orpha in 2025?
- Orpha is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Orpha with classmates?
- Orpha will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More O names
The most-given names starting with O, all years combined.
Olivia#1 · Opal#423 · Olive#197 · Olga#3167 · Ollie#2276 · Ora#3712 · Ola#7885 · Ophelia#264
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Orpha? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Orpha 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