Orryn
A masculine name of Celtic origin meaning "green" or "fresh".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Orryn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Orryn today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Orryn births was 2022 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Orryn. 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 Orryn with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Orryn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
2022
9 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2022 SSA rank
#8,802
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Orryn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Orryn from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 11 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
Orryn 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 Orryn 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 Orryn
The name Orryn is a variant of the Welsh given name Orrin, which is derived from the Old Welsh name Orn or Orin. The name is thought to have its origins in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 9th century AD. In Welsh, the name may have originally meant "green" or "fresh," possibly referring to the color or the concept of new growth.
While the name Orryn is not as common as some other Welsh names, it has been recorded throughout history. One of the earliest known bearers of a similar name was Orn Gamalson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the late 10th century. He is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas as a powerful leader in the region now known as Trøndelag.
In the 12th century, a Welsh cleric named Orrin ap Iestyn is recorded as having served as a priest in the village of Llanddewi Brefi in Ceredigion. He is notable for being one of the few Welsh clerics of the time whose name has been preserved in historical records.
In the 16th century, an English courtier named Orryn Clement was a attendant to King Henry VIII. He is mentioned in court records from the time, though little is known about his life beyond his service to the monarch.
In the 19th century, an American author named Orryn Fowler (1825-1891) wrote several works of fiction and non-fiction, including a popular book on phrenology called "Human Science; or, Phrenology" which was published in 1873.
More recently, a British actor named Orryn West (1935-2001) had a successful career in theater and television, appearing in productions such as the BBC series "Poldark" in the 1970s.
While not an extremely common name, Orryn has a long and varied history, with bearers appearing in different cultures and time periods over the centuries. Its Welsh roots and potential connection to the concept of new growth or freshness give it an appealing and evocative meaning.
People
Orryn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Orryn 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
Orryn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Orryn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Orryn 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Orryn a common name?
We classify Orryn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Orryn most popular?
The single biggest year for Orryn was 2022, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Orryn is about 7 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 Orryn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Orryn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Orryn 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 Orryn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Orryn 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 Orryn 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 called Orryn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.