Orphus
Possibly from Greek myth, a poet-musician and mystic philosopher.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Orphus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Orphus today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Orphus births was 1914 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Orphus. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Orphus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1914
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1914 SSA rank
#3,169
Tracked since 1896
Popularity
Orphus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Orphus from the 1890s through to the 1910s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 6 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
Orphus 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 Orphus 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 Orphus
The given name Orphus has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and literature. It is derived from the Greek word "orphos," which means "dark" or "gloomy." This name was likely inspired by the tragic figure of Orpheus, a legendary musician and poet from Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology, Orpheus was a gifted musician whose music had the power to charm and enchant all living creatures, including plants and rocks. He is best known for his journey to the underworld to retrieve his beloved wife Eurydice after her untimely death. While his music charmed the gods of the underworld, he ultimately failed in his quest due to his inability to follow their instructions.
The name Orphus first appeared in ancient Greek literature, particularly in the works of poets and playwrights who retold the tragic story of Orpheus. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the epic poem "Argonautica" by Apollonius of Rhodes, written in the 3rd century BC.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Orphus. One of the earliest was Orphus of Croton, a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 6th century BC and was a member of the Pythagorean school of thought.
In the 2nd century AD, there was Orphus of Alexandria, a Greek grammarian and scholar who wrote extensively on the works of Homer and other ancient Greek literature.
During the Byzantine Empire, Orphus Melissenus was a notable figure in the 11th century. He was a general and military commander who played a significant role in the wars against the Seljuk Turks.
In the 15th century, Orphus Eugenicus was a Greek scholar and theologian who was a prominent figure in the Council of Ferrara-Florence, which attempted to reunite the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
Another notable figure with the name Orphus was Orphus Sirlatus, an Italian humanist and philosopher who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the study of Neoplatonism.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Orphus, a name deeply rooted in ancient Greek mythology and literature.
People
Orphus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Orphus 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
Orphus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Orphus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Orphus 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 - US residents.
Is Orphus a common name?
We classify Orphus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Orphus most popular?
The single biggest year for Orphus was 1914, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Orphus is about 0 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 Orphus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Orphus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Orphus 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 Orphus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Orphus 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 Orphus 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 Americans are named Orphus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Orphus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.