Fun Facts About the Name Orson
- More than 2 thousand babies named Orson: U.S. records list 2,712 babies given the name Orson from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Orson Mean?
Orson is an English masculine name meaning "bear cub." It was formed in Old French from ors, meaning "bear" (from Latin ursus), combined with the diminutive suffix -on. The two elements together give the literal sense "little bear" or "bear cub," which is the customary meaning of the name.
Orson Name History & Origins
The name entered English by way of Old French. Its base word, ors (bear), developed from Latin ursus, and the added -on gave the sense of a young or small bear. Names built from animal words were common in medieval French and English naming.
The name is familiar from the medieval romance Valentine and Orson, a tale in which Orson is one of twin brothers, carried off and raised by a bear, while Valentine is raised at court. The story circulated in French from the Middle Ages and an English version was printed in the early 1500s. This romance is a well-known literary use of the name rather than its origin, and Orson also appears as a personal name in England during the medieval and early modern periods.
The most widely recognized modern bearer was the American actor and director Orson Welles (1915 - 1985), whose full name was George Orson Welles. The name has remained an uncommon given name in the English-speaking world.
How Popular is the Name Orson?
Orson recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #549 in 1883.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,433 | 126 | 0.0074% |
| 2024 | #1,500 | 119 | 0.0069% |
| 2023 | #1,399 | 132 | 0.0077% |
| 2022 | #1,437 | 127 | 0.0073% |
| 2021 | #1,683 | 98 | 0.0056% |
| 2020 | #1,573 | 104 | 0.0060% |
| 2019 | #1,589 | 105 | 0.0059% |
| 2018 | #2,202 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2017 | #1,968 | 73 | 0.0039% |
| 2016 | #1,735 | 90 | 0.0047% |
| 2015 | #2,126 | 66 | 0.0034% |
| 2014 | #2,420 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 2013 | #2,796 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2012 | #3,506 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 2011 | #3,287 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2010 | #3,780 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2009 | #4,392 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2008 | #5,202 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #4,329 | 23 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #6,011 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #6,125 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #9,674 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #6,604 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #5,976 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #7,354 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #7,988 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #7,678 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #8,212 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #7,899 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #6,944 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #7,575 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #6,809 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #5,812 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #6,961 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #7,651 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #3,652 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #5,922 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #4,055 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #5,586 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #4,066 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #4,491 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #3,553 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #3,381 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #3,507 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #3,347 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #3,532 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #2,481 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1975 | #2,866 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1974 | #2,255 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1973 | #3,621 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,869 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #2,186 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1970 | #1,835 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1969 | #2,281 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1968 | #3,035 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #3,170 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #2,308 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1965 | #2,238 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1964 | #3,917 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #2,020 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1962 | #2,632 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1961 | #2,842 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #3,262 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #3,214 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #1,757 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 1957 | #2,001 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1956 | #1,871 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 1955 | #3,137 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #2,187 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1953 | #2,496 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1952 | #2,226 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1951 | #2,223 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1950 | #2,003 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1949 | #2,305 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1948 | #2,948 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #2,145 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1946 | #1,740 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 1945 | #1,746 | 16 | 0.0012% |
| 1944 | #1,666 | 18 | 0.0013% |
| 1943 | #2,688 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1942 | #3,137 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #2,063 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1940 | #1,460 | 22 | 0.0019% |
| 1939 | #1,774 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1938 | #2,602 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1937 | #2,298 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1936 | #2,039 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1935 | #2,883 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1934 | #1,835 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1933 | #2,188 | 12 | 0.0012% |
| 1932 | #2,430 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #1,817 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1930 | #2,267 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1929 | #1,983 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1928 | #2,130 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1927 | #3,089 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1926 | #1,890 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1925 | #1,854 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1924 | #1,523 | 26 | 0.0023% |
| 1923 | #1,485 | 26 | 0.0024% |
| 1922 | #1,745 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1921 | #2,754 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1920 | #1,943 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1919 | #1,342 | 29 | 0.0030% |
| 1918 | #1,580 | 23 | 0.0023% |
| 1917 | #1,570 | 22 | 0.0024% |
| 1916 | #1,583 | 21 | 0.0024% |
| 1915 | #1,398 | 24 | 0.0028% |
| 1914 | #1,665 | 15 | 0.0023% |
| 1913 | #1,018 | 25 | 0.0049% |
| 1912 | #1,710 | 10 | 0.0023% |
| 1911 | #1,357 | 8 | 0.0035% |
| 1910 | #1,391 | 7 | 0.0036% |
| 1901 | #921 | 7 | 0.0066% |
| 1899 | #1,163 | 5 | 0.0047% |
| 1898 | #967 | 7 | 0.0057% |
| 1896 | #877 | 8 | 0.0067% |
| 1895 | #956 | 7 | 0.0060% |
| 1892 | #932 | 7 | 0.0057% |
| 1891 | #1,087 | 5 | 0.0049% |
| 1888 | #894 | 7 | 0.0058% |
| 1887 | #892 | 6 | 0.0059% |
| 1886 | #1,069 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1885 | #910 | 6 | 0.0056% |
| 1884 | #943 | 6 | 0.0052% |
| 1883 | #549 | 12 | 0.0115% |
| 1882 | #684 | 9 | 0.0079% |
| 1881 | #760 | 7 | 0.0069% |
| 1880 | #788 | 7 | 0.0063% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
