Orson
Bear cub, from French 'ours' meaning bear.
Name Census estimates that about 1,879 living Americans carry the first name Orson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Orson today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Orson births was 2023 (132 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Orson. 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.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 182,413 Americans
Peak year
2023
132 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,500
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Orson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Orson from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 585 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
Orson 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 Orson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Orsons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, New York, Utah recorded the most babies named Orson, while Indiana, Iowa, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Orson
The name Orson originated from the Old Norse language and culture. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse elements "ors" meaning "bear" and "sun" meaning "son" or "kin". This combination suggests the name could have been used to refer to someone as "bear's son" or "bear's kin".
Orson was a popular name during the Viking Age, particularly among Scandinavian settlers in parts of Europe like Britain and France. It appears in some Old Norse sagas and texts from that era, though specific references are scarce.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Orson was a semi-legendary figure from French folklore known as Orson the Woodman or Orson the Bear-Man. This character, who lived in the forests of France during the 8th century, was said to have been raised by a bear after being abandoned as a child.
Another notable bearer of the name was Orson Welles, the acclaimed American actor, director, and producer who was born in 1915 and died in 1985. He is best known for his groundbreaking film "Citizen Kane" and his iconic role as Harry Lime in "The Third Man".
Orson Pratt, born in 1811 and died in 1881, was a notable leader and apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a prolific writer and theologian who played a significant role in the early days of the Mormon Church.
Orson Scott Card, born in 1951, is a celebrated American author best known for his science fiction novel "Ender's Game" and its sequels. He has won numerous awards, including the Hugo and Nebula, for his contributions to the genre.
Orson Smothers, born in 1927 and died in 2018, was an American actor and comedian, best known for his work with his brother Dick as the comedy duo The Smothers Brothers. Their irreverent and satirical humor made them popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Orson
People
Orson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Orson 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
Orson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Orson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,879 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Orson 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 182,413 US residents.
Is Orson a common name?
We classify Orson 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, 2,586 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Orson most popular?
The single biggest year for Orson was 2023, when 132 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Orson is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Orson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Orson 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.