Oralee
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly related to the French word "oraille" meaning "earlobe".
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Oralee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Oralee today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oralee births was 1919 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oralee. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Oralee is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Oralees were born before 1957.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
1919
29 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1979 SSA rank
#11,399
Tracked since 1902
Census
Oralee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 391 people with the first name Oralee, which placed it at #24,576 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,576
National first-name rank
People counted
391
391 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oralee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oralee is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Hispanic (7.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Oralee described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Oralee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.3% · 181
- Black or African American40.4% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 28
- Two or more races4.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
Popularity
Oralee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oralee from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 192 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oralee by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Oralee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oralees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Oralee, while Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oralee
The name Oralee finds its origins in the Old English language, tracing back to the 9th century CE. It is a composite name derived from the Old English words "ora," meaning "prayer," and "lea," signifying a meadow or clearing. The name Oralee initially gained popularity among Anglo-Saxon communities, particularly those residing in the countryside of present-day England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oralee can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical record mentions an Oralee of Wessex, who was a landowner in the region. However, details about her life and significance remain scarce.
During the Middle Ages, the name Oralee held a strong connection to religious devotion and the natural beauty of the English countryside. It was often bestowed upon young girls born in rural areas, symbolizing the purity and serenity associated with meadows and the act of prayer.
In the 14th century, an Oralee of Canterbury gained recognition as a skilled embroiderer. Her intricate needlework adorned the vestments of several high-ranking clergymen in the region, showcasing the artistic talents often attributed to individuals bearing this name.
The Renaissance period saw the emergence of Oralee Browne (1495-1567), a notable herbalist and apothecary from London. Browne's expertise in the medicinal properties of plants earned her a reputation among the city's wealthy and influential families, making her a respected figure in her field.
In the 18th century, Oralee Abigail Winslow (1723-1801) left her mark as an accomplished poet and essayist. Born in Massachusetts, Winslow's writings often explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the struggles of colonial life, providing valuable insights into the era's intellectual and cultural landscape.
During the Victorian era, Oralee Emilia Balfour (1842-1918) gained recognition as a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. Hailing from Scotland, Balfour established several schools for girls, promoting equal access to education and challenging societal norms of the time.
While the name Oralee has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, its historical significance remains rooted in its connection to spirituality, nature, and the pursuit of knowledge and artistic expression throughout various periods of history.
People
Oralee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oralee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oralee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oralee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oralee going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Oralee a common name?
We classify Oralee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 662 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oralee most popular?
The single biggest year for Oralee was 1919, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oralee is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Oralee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 391 people with the name Oralee, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,576 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Oralee in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Oralee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Oralee leans strongly female. 388 people counted with this name were female (96.8%), compared with 13 male bearers (3.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Oralee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oralee is White at 46.3%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Hispanic (7.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Oralee most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Oralee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.3% (181 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Oralee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oralee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oralee in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Oralee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oralee in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Oralee can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Oralee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.