Orlando
Orlando was the 873rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 275 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 246th; the most babies were born in 1987 (877). Over the last ten years it has moved down 260 places. More babies were named Orlando in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning Italian form of Roland · Italian, Germanic
Say it or-LAN-doh /ɔɹˈlændoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #873 boys, down 101 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 275boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1987877 babies
- Total since 1880
- 49,696babies recorded
What does the name Orlando mean?
Orlando is the Italian form of Roland, a Germanic name from hrōd 'fame' and land 'land'. Roland was the hero of the Old French Song of Roland, and in Italian epic poetry he became Orlando, as in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (1516). Shakespeare used the name for the hero of As You Like It. The city of Orlando, Florida, has had its name since 1857.
hrōd (Old High German, “fame, glory”)land (Old High German, “land”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Roland, Rolando, Lando, Rowland.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Orlando', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Roland', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Orlando
The usual nicknames for Orlando are Lando. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Orlando in the last five years, 24 were named Lando, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lando | Traditional | #1,685 | 374 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Orlandos go by each one.
Orlando popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 242 since 1960.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #873 | 275 |
| 2020 | #772 | 307 |
| 2010 | #433 | 634 |
| 2000 | #401 | 634 |
| 1990 | #314 | 800 |
| 1980 | #283 | 743 |
| 1970 | #290 | 718 |
| 1960 | #372 | 451 |
| 1950 | #533 | 163 |
| 1940 | #553 | 115 |
| 1930 | #561 | 114 |
| 1920 | #449 | 181 |
| 1910 | #563 | 26 |
| 1900 | #672 | 15 |
| 1890 | #968 | 6 |
| 1880 | #457 | 16 |
How popular is Orlando, counting every spelling?
Orlando has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #838 for boys in 2025, against #873 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Orlando?
275 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Orlando (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Orlando 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 30 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Orlando.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Orlando?
About 41,200 people born in the US named Orlando are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 21 and 52. That makes Orlando mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Orlando by state
How common Orlando was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.4×), Texas (2.1×), Arizona (1.9×), Colorado (1.6×). In 23 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Orlando: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Orlando, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Orlando · Sibling names for Orlando
Questions about the name Orlando
What does Orlando mean?
Orlando means “Italian form of Roland” (Italian, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Orlando?
Orlando was the 873rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 275 babies. Its best year was 1975, when it ranked 246th; the most babies were born in 1987 (877). Over the last ten years it has moved down 260 places. More babies were named Orlando in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Orlando a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Orlando in the US.
Where is Orlando most popular?
In 2021–2025, Orlando was most common in New Mexico (0.61 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Arizona.