Orson
Masculine · “bear”
Orson began as a Norman nickname for a bear, and it reached English readers through the medieval French romance of Valentine and Orson, in which one of two twin brothers is carried off and raised by a she-bear in the woods. It has been on American records since record-keeping began, never crowding a classroom, never quite disappearing either — two syllables that land firmly and end soft.
How old is the name Orson?
Orson was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Orson alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 2,000 people named Orson are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Orson most popular?
Orson peaked in 1883, reaching #527 nationally. Today it ranks #1425, 898 places below that high. See the whole 1883 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Ursus to Orson
The story of Orson
The root is Latin ursus, 'bear', which became ors in Norman French and produced Orson as a nickname and then a surname in medieval England. The name reached a wider English audience through Valentine and Orson, a French romance of the fifteenth century translated into English and reprinted for centuries as a popular chapbook tale of twin brothers, one of them raised by a bear. From the surname it moved, as English surnames often did, into use as a first name — and it has been recorded that way in the United States for as long as American given-name statistics have existed. Twentieth-century bearers in film and in letters kept it in circulation on this side of the Atlantic.
Meaning
bear, bear cub
From Norman French ors, 'bear', ultimately Latin ursus; the diminutive ourson gives 'bear cub'.
How the name formed
- Ursus
- Ors
- Ourson
- Orson
Related forms: Ursus · Orso · Urs · Ourson · Ursin
Pronouncing Orson
OR-sun
Stress on the first syllable. The second is a light, unstressed -sun, not -sohn.
Nicknames for Orson
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 boys named
- 2022127 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #527reached in 1883
- Change vs 2022
- −0.8%126 in 2025, from 127
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.
Orson in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ursus in Latin — related form
- Orso in Italian — related form
- Urs in German (Swiss) — related form
- Ourson in French — related form
- Ursin in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Orsons among us
people named Orson are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 13,556 born in 2025 was named Orson
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Orson 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 Orson is headed
Orson 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.
Orson beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Orson in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One spelling only, and it reads exactly as it sounds — no alternate versions competing for the same child.
- Documented in English from the medieval Valentine and Orson romance onward, and on US records from the beginning of the count.
- Belongs to a family of bear-names used across Europe — Orso in Italian, Urs in Swiss German — so the root travels.
- Two syllables with a hard opening consonant, which pairs cleanly with most surnames and carries across a playground.
- For many Americans the name points straight to Orson Welles. That is a distinguished anchor rather than a burden, but expect it to be the first thing people mention.
- It is rare enough that a child will likely be the only one wherever they go — which cuts both ways: no surname initial needed, but a lifetime of gentle correcting from people who heard Orion or Olson.
- There is no long-established short form, so Orson tends to be used whole. If nicknames matter to you, that is worth thinking about early.
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What they receive
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Orson
Masculine · #1425 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Orsons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Orson are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Orson in 2025?
- Orson ranks #1425 among US boy names in 2025, with 126 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Orson?
- About 1 in every 13,556 US boys born in 2025 was named Orson — 126 in all.
- Will my child share the name Orson with classmates?
- Orson will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Orson
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Jessie#1425 · Finneas#1425 · Dev#1425 · Jacoby#1425 · Rush#1425 · Aleksander#1425 · Haze#1425 · Zack#1425
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Orson? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Orson and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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