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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Orion

Orion was the 334th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,012 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 300th with 1,152 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 33 places. More babies were named Orion in the 2010s than in any other decade.

Meaning Origin uncertain · Greek

Say it oh-RY-un /oʊˈraɪən/

Rank in 2025
#334 boys, down 9 places since 2020
Babies in 2025
1,012boys
Girls and boys
Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
Peak year
20181,152 babies
Total since 1880
23,750babies recorded

What does the name Orion mean?

Orion is a giant hunter in Greek mythology, already mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, who was placed among the stars as the constellation Orion. The Greek name Ōríōn has no agreed origin; Wiktionary mentions a speculative link with an Akkadian phrase meaning "light of heaven" but calls it unsupported. As a boy's name it is modern, chosen for the constellation.

Ὠρίων (Ancient Greek, “Orion, the mythical hunter”)

How sure is this? Uncertain. Origin of the Greek name unknown.

Other explanations you may read: means 'rising in the sky'.

Related names: Ryan.

See also: Greek names.

Sources for this meaning

Orion popularity since 1880

05001k1.5k2k 1900192019401960198020002020
Boys Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.

A few girls are given the name too: 630 since 1917, 18 in 2025.

YearRank (boys)Babies (boys)
2025#3341,012
2020#3251,016
2010#467561
2000#554382
1990#1,14290
1980#1,17361
1970#2,83812
1960#3,5627
1950#2,54010
1940#2,6229
1930#1,68120
1920#1,26933
1910——
1900#1,1377
1890——
1880#1,0255

How popular is Orion, counting every spelling?

Orion has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #341 for boys in 2025, against #334 on the official list, because Bryan/Brian/Bryon and Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed move ahead once their spellings are combined.

How many kids will share the name Orion?

1,012 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Orion (0.28 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Orion born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Orion.

Chance of another Orion in a class of 20under 1 in 50US, born 2025
Most likely inAlaskaabout 1 in 37 (2024)
Least likely inAlabamaunder 1 in 50 (2024)

Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.

How old are people named Orion?

About 21,900 people born in the US named Orion are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 20. That makes Orion a young name: most people with it are children.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.

Orion by state

How common Orion was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (5.9×), Hawaii (3.5×), New Mexico (3.3×), Oregon (3.1×), Colorado (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Dakota, Alabama, Rhode Island.

Alaska: 3.4 per 1,000 babiesAK3.4Maine: 0.88 per 1,000 babiesME0.88Wisconsin: 0.82 per 1,000 babiesWI0.82Vermont: 0.95 per 1,000 babiesVT0.95New Hampshire: 1.4 per 1,000 babiesNH1.4Washington: 1.2 per 1,000 babiesWA1.2Idaho: 1.1 per 1,000 babiesID1.1Montana: 0.74 per 1,000 babiesMT0.74North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: 0.67 per 1,000 babiesMN0.67Illinois: 0.51 per 1,000 babiesIL0.51Michigan: 0.50 per 1,000 babiesMI0.50New York: 0.62 per 1,000 babiesNY0.62Massachusetts: 0.51 per 1,000 babiesMA0.51Oregon: 1.8 per 1,000 babiesOR1.8Nevada: 1.3 per 1,000 babiesNV1.3Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: 0.27 per 1,000 babiesSD0.27Iowa: 0.48 per 1,000 babiesIA0.48Indiana: 0.78 per 1,000 babiesIN0.78Ohio: 0.54 per 1,000 babiesOH0.54Pennsylvania: 0.71 per 1,000 babiesPA0.71New Jersey: 0.45 per 1,000 babiesNJ0.45Connecticut: 0.65 per 1,000 babiesCT0.65Rhode Island: 0.31 per 1,000 babiesRI0.31California: 0.76 per 1,000 babiesCA0.76Utah: 0.80 per 1,000 babiesUT0.80Colorado: 1.4 per 1,000 babiesCO1.4Nebraska: 0.83 per 1,000 babiesNE0.83Missouri: 0.68 per 1,000 babiesMO0.68Kentucky: 0.55 per 1,000 babiesKY0.55West Virginia: 0.77 per 1,000 babiesWV0.77Virginia: 0.78 per 1,000 babiesVA0.78Maryland: 0.67 per 1,000 babiesMD0.67Delaware: 0.72 per 1,000 babiesDE0.72Arizona: 0.94 per 1,000 babiesAZ0.94New Mexico: 1.9 per 1,000 babiesNM1.9Kansas: 0.70 per 1,000 babiesKS0.70Arkansas: 0.60 per 1,000 babiesAR0.60Tennessee: 0.53 per 1,000 babiesTN0.53North Carolina: 0.47 per 1,000 babiesNC0.47South Carolina: 0.46 per 1,000 babiesSC0.46District of Columbia: 0.34 per 1,000 babiesDC0.34Oklahoma: 0.67 per 1,000 babiesOK0.67Louisiana: 0.42 per 1,000 babiesLA0.42Mississippi: 0.33 per 1,000 babiesMS0.33Alabama: 0.30 per 1,000 babiesAL0.30Georgia: 0.49 per 1,000 babiesGA0.49Hawaii: 2.1 per 1,000 babiesHI2.1Texas: 0.46 per 1,000 babiesTX0.46Florida: 0.61 per 1,000 babiesFL0.61
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Orion, boys, 2021–2025. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Orion: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Orion, they share its era and feel.

Middle names for Orion · Sibling names for Orion

Questions about the name Orion

What does Orion mean?

The origin of Orion is uncertain: Origin of the Greek name unknown.

How popular is the name Orion?

Orion was the 334th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,012 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 300th with 1,152 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 33 places. More babies were named Orion in the 2010s than in any other decade.

Is Orion a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Orion in the US.

Where is Orion most popular?

In 2021–2025, Orion was most common in Alaska (3.44 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and New Mexico.