Orange
A feminine name originating from the citrus fruit color.
Name Census estimates that about 91 living Americans carry the first name Orange. It is a predominantly male name (97.1% of registrations). The average person named Orange today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Orange births was 1920 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Orange. 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 Orange is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Oranges were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Orange. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
91
~ 1 in 3,766,531 Americans
Peak year
1920
25 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1971 SSA rank
#4,087
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Orange
Orange leans heavily male at 97.1% of total registrations, but 18 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Orange as a male name
- Ranked #5,446 in 1971
- 5 male births in 1971
- Peak: 1920 (20 births)
Orange as a female name
- Ranked #4,087 in 1928
- 7 female births in 1928
- Peak: 1928 (7 births)
Popularity
Orange: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Orange from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 151 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
Orange 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 Orange during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oranges live
Origin
Meaning and history of Orange
The given name Orange is a unique and peculiar moniker that has its origins in the English language. It is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century, coinciding with the introduction of the orange fruit to Europe from Asia.
The etymology of the name can be traced back to the Sanskrit word "naranga," which referred to the orange tree and its fruit. This word made its way into various European languages, including Spanish ("naranja"), Portuguese ("laranja"), and eventually English ("orange").
While the name Orange is undoubtedly connected to the citrus fruit of the same name, its usage as a given name for individuals is relatively rare and unconventional. There are no known historical records or ancient texts that mention the name Orange being bestowed upon individuals in any significant capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Orange being used as a given name can be found in the 18th century. Orange Hartwell, an American soldier and politician, was born in 1742 in Virginia. He served in the Virginia militia during the Revolutionary War and later became a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Another notable figure with the name Orange was Orange Sampson, an American author and journalist who lived from 1860 to 1936. He wrote several books on various topics, including a biography of former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant.
In the world of sports, Orange Keys was an American baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the late 19th century. He was born in 1866 and played in the Major Leagues from 1891 to 1892.
One of the most recent individuals with the name Orange was Orange Cove, an American artist and painter who lived from 1903 to 1985. He was known for his landscape paintings of the American West and is considered a influential figure in the art world.
Lastly, Orange Ratchford was an American football player who played as a running back for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1950s. He was born in 1929 and played in the National Football League from 1952 to 1955.
While the name Orange may seem unusual and unconventional, these individuals throughout history have embraced this unique moniker and left their mark in various fields, from politics and literature to sports and art.
People
Orange + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Orange 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
Orange: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Orange?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 91 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Orange 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 3,766,531 US residents.
Is Orange a common name?
We classify Orange as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 616 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Orange most popular?
The single biggest year for Orange was 1920, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Orange is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Orange a male name?
Yes, 97.1% of people registered as Orange 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.
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.