Oran
An old Irish masculine name meaning "little green one" or "from the green place".
Name Census estimates that about 1,909 living Americans carry the first name Oran. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oran today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oran births was 1922 (104 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oran. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Oran with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 179,547 Americans
Peak year
1922
104 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,982
Tracked since 1880
Census
Oran in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,812 people with the first name Oran, which placed it at #8,102 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
#8,102
National first-name rank
People counted
1.8K
1,812 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oran
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oran is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Oran 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 Oran at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 1,301
- Black or African American17.8% · 323
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 77
- Two or more races3.7% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 22
Popularity
Oran: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oran from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 839 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
Oran 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 Oran during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Orans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Oran, while Tennessee, Ohio, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oran
The given name Oran has its roots in the Gaelic language, which originated in Ireland and parts of Scotland. The name can be traced back to the ancient Celtic cultures that inhabited these regions. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "oran," which means "song" or "chant."
In early Irish mythology and folklore, Oran was sometimes mentioned as a bard or poet, highlighting the musical and lyrical connotations of the name. While the name does not appear prominently in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been used among Celtic communities for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Oran was an Irish monk who lived in the 6th century. He was known as Saint Oran and was believed to have been a disciple of St. Columba, the renowned Irish missionary who spread Christianity in Scotland.
During the Middle Ages, the name Oran gained popularity among Irish and Scottish families, particularly those with ties to bardic traditions or musical lineages. Notable historical figures who bore the name include Oran Mor (c. 1300s), a renowned Scottish bard and composer whose works were celebrated in the Scottish Highlands.
In the 17th century, Oran O'Rourke (c. 1625-1707) was an Irish harpist and composer who played a significant role in preserving traditional Irish music. His compositions and teachings helped keep the rich heritage of Irish harp music alive during a time of cultural suppression.
Another notable bearer of the name was Oran Mór Kelly (c. 1675-1735), an Irish poet and songwriter from County Galway. His works were widely popular and celebrated the Irish language, culture, and way of life.
In more recent times, Oran Roberts (1908-1991) was a Welsh actor and singer who gained fame for his roles in numerous British films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Oran throughout history, each contributing to the cultural richness and legacy associated with this name of Celtic origins.
People
Oran + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oran 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
Oran: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oran?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,909 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oran 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 179,547 US residents.
Is Oran a common name?
We classify Oran as "Rare". It ranks above 93.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,428 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oran most popular?
The single biggest year for Oran was 1922, when 104 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oran is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Oran in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,812 people with the name Oran, or 0.60 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,102 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 Oran 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 Oran?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Oran leans strongly male. 1,777 people counted with this name were male (97.9%), compared with 39 female bearers (2.1%). 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 Oran?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oran is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Oran most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Oran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (1,301 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 Oran in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oran a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oran in the SSA data are male. 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 Oran still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oran 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 Oran 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 people are named Oran?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.