Orise
A feminine Nigerian name meaning "gift born during festivities".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Orise. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Orise today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Orise births was 1919 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Orise. 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 Orise is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Orises were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Orise. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1919
5 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,204
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Orise
Orise is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Orise as a male name
- Ranked #4,204 in 1953
- 5 male births in 1953
- Peak: 1953 (5 births)
Orise as a female name
- Ranked #5,386 in 1919
- 5 female births in 1919
- Peak: 1919 (5 births)
Popularity
Orise: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Orise from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Orise 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 Orise during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Orise
The name Orise is believed to have originated from the Yoruba language spoken in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria. It is thought to be derived from the Yoruba word "orí," which means "head" or "spiritual consciousness." The name likely emerged in the 15th or 16th century during the height of the Yoruba civilization.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Orise can be found in the Ifá corpus, a collection of Yoruba spiritual and literary texts. In these texts, Orise is mentioned as a deity or orisha associated with the head and spiritual enlightenment. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a spiritual or ceremonial name before becoming a personal name.
The earliest known individual to bear the name Orise was a Yoruba priest and spiritual leader who lived in the 17th century. Unfortunately, historical records do not provide his exact dates of birth and death, but he is revered for his contributions to the preservation and dissemination of Yoruba spiritual practices.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Orise. One such person was Orise Akinyemi (c. 1850-1920), a prominent Yoruba trader and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the economic development of Lagos, Nigeria, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another important figure was Orise Oluwole (1885-1972), a Nigerian educator and women's rights activist. She founded one of the first secondary schools for girls in Lagos and was a pioneering figure in the fight for women's education and empowerment in Nigeria.
In the realm of literature, Orise Ajelara (1911-1997) was a renowned Yoruba poet and playwright. His works, which explored themes of cultural identity and tradition, were instrumental in preserving and promoting Yoruba language and literature.
Furthermore, Orise Akinrinade (1925-2010) was a distinguished Nigerian diplomat and politician. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria from 1975 to 1979 and played a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria's foreign policy during that period.
Lastly, Orise Olorunsogo (1930-2018) was a prominent Nigerian artist and sculptor. His works, often depicting Yoruba cultural themes and motifs, were widely celebrated and exhibited both nationally and internationally, earning him recognition as one of Nigeria's most influential artists.
People
Orise + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Orise 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
Orise: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Orise?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Orise 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Orise a common name?
We classify Orise as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Orise most popular?
The single biggest year for Orise was 1919, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Orise is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Orise in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Orise a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Orise 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 Orise still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Orise 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 Orise 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Orise?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.