Orvie
A unisex name of French origin, possibly a diminutive of Orville.
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Orvie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Orvie today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Orvie births was 1918 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Orvie. 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 Orvie is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Orvies were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Orvie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1918
10 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1957 SSA rank
#4,397
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Orvie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Orvie from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 39 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Orvie 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 Orvie 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 Orvie
The name Orvie is an English given name of uncertain origin and meaning. It is believed to have emerged as a diminutive or nickname form of the more common name Orville, itself a French surname derived from the Old French word "orvile" meaning "town of the noblemen."
Some sources suggest that Orvie may have its roots in the Old Norse word "orf," meaning "inheritance" or "legacy." However, this connection is tenuous and lacks concrete historical evidence. It is more likely that Orvie evolved as a shortened version of Orville, which gained popularity in the United States and other English-speaking countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Orvie can be traced back to the late 19th century in the United States. One notable individual bearing this name was Orvie E. Roberts (1870-1948), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Kansas from 1923 to 1927.
Another historical figure with the name Orvie was Orvie L. Hulett (1892-1967), an American entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Hulett Aluminum Company in Ohio in the early 20th century. He played a significant role in the development of the aluminum industry in the United States.
In the realm of sports, Orvie J. Schalm (1904-1971) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1920s and 1930s, including the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens.
Orvie G. Hatch (1889-1960) was an American educator and academic who served as the President of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1925 to 1947, overseeing significant growth and development of the institution during his tenure.
Finally, Orvie O. Moody (1874-1951) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1928 to 1932, making important contributions to the state's economic and political landscape during his time in office.
While not a common name, Orvie has a rich history and has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, from politics and business to education and sports. Its origins may be obscure, but the name has left an indelible mark on the historical record.
People
Orvie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Orvie 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
Orvie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Orvie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Orvie 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Orvie a common name?
We classify Orvie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 136 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Orvie most popular?
The single biggest year for Orvie was 1918, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Orvie is about 81 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 Orvie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Orvie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Orvie 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 Orvie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Orvie 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 Orvie 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 common is the name Orvie?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Orvie at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.