boys' name ★ peaked 2018

Orion

Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #334 Trend → Stable

Orion is both a surname and a male given name usually derived from the character from Greek mythology or the constellation named for the character.

Rank 2025
#334
among boys · ↓9 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,030
named Orion · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,688
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
1,186 babies
All-time total
23,750
#775 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Orion popularity over time

23,750 babies have been named Orion since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 34 34 3 – #864
1890s – 49 49 5 +44% #530
1900s – 37 37 4 -24% #1,137
1910s 5 192 197 20 +432% #1,224
1920s – 281 281 28 +43% #1,171
1930s – 154 154 15 -45% #1,521
1940s – 121 121 12 -21% #1,393
1950s – 84 84 8 -31% #2,071
1960s – 82 82 8 -2% #2,029
1970s – 500 500 50 +510% #987
1980s – 733 733 73 +47% #967
1990s 88 1,852 1,940 194 +165% #539
2000s 140 4,367 4,507 451 +132% #524
2010s 237 8,595 8,832 883 +96% #300
2020s (to 2025) 160 6,039 6,199 1,033 +17% #314

Where Orion is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,004 0.59 #337
2027 997 0.58 #337
2028 991 0.58 #338
2029 986 0.58 #339
2030 982 0.57 #339

Where Orion is most popular

Boys named Orion per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.582 per 1,000. Strongest in Alaska, Hawaii, and New Mexico.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Orion born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska 41 3.44 +492%
Hawaii 32 2.06 +254%
New Mexico 64 1.94 +234%
Oregon 139 1.83 +215%
Colorado 182 1.41 +142%
New Hampshire 31 1.40 +140%
Nevada 75 1.32 +126%
Washington 189 1.16 +99%
Idaho 45 1.10 +89%
Vermont 6 0.955 +64%
Arizona 153 0.935 +61%
Maine 17 0.876 +51%
Nebraska 36 0.828 +42%
Wisconsin 97 0.819 +41%
Utah 76 0.796 +37%
Indiana 125 0.780 +34%
Virginia 147 0.775 +33%
West Virginia 25 0.766 +32%
California 695 0.760 +31%
Montana 13 0.737 +27%
Delaware 11 0.725 +25%
Pennsylvania 188 0.708 +22%
Kansas 48 0.700 +20%
Missouri 94 0.678 +17%
Maryland 80 0.671 +15%
Minnesota 82 0.668 +15%
Oklahoma 59 0.667 +15%
Connecticut 44 0.650 +12%
New York 270 0.624 +7%
Florida 287 0.606 ≈ national
Arkansas 38 0.600 ≈ national
Kentucky 55 0.548 -6%
Ohio 143 0.540 -7%
Tennessee 95 0.526 -10%
Illinois 131 0.513 -12%
Massachusetts 70 0.509 -12%
Michigan 103 0.503 -14%
Georgia 124 0.489 -16%
Iowa 33 0.479 -18%
North Carolina 119 0.466 -20%
South Carolina 48 0.464 -20%
Texas 404 0.459 -21%
New Jersey 90 0.447 -23%
Louisiana 43 0.420 -28%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 -42%
Mississippi 19 0.334 -42%
Rhode Island 5 0.307 -47%
Alabama 33 0.302 -48%
South Dakota 5 0.269 -54%
North Dakota – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Orion

Orion is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #334 in 2025 with 1,012 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 23,750 American babies have been named Orion. Its peak came in 2018, when 1,186 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Orion stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Orion?

The median living Orion is about 10 years old; half are between 5 and 20. An estimated 23 thousand people named Orion are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Orion year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 18 #6,491 1,012 #334
2024 32 #4,452 1,065 #325
2023 23 #5,509 869 #373
2022 21 #5,937 1,021 #332
2021 40 #3,785 1,056 #314
2020 26 #4,974 1,016 #325
2019 28 #4,871 1,077 #313
2018 34 #4,218 1,152 #300
2017 34 #4,289 1,023 #335
2016 33 #4,413 1,072 #324
2015 22 #5,983 877 #367
2014 24 #5,589 821 #381
2013 14 #8,464 759 #395
2012 21 #6,288 679 #419
2011 14 #8,524 574 #471
2010 13 #9,114 561 #467
2009 11 #10,485 519 #524
2008 16 #8,017 496 #535
2007 13 #9,411 469 #549
2006 14 #8,601 486 #527
2005 13 #8,732 427 #558
2004 14 #8,125 418 #551
2003 16 #7,126 399 #562
2002 12 #8,691 367 #584
2001 16 #6,892 404 #540
2000 15 #7,063 382 #554
1995 7 #11,421 168 #831
1990 – – 90 #1,142
1985 – – 64 #1,177
1980 – – 61 #1,173
1975 – – 58 #1,111
1970 – – 12 #2,838
1965 – – 5 #4,289
1960 – – 7 #3,562
1955 – – – –
1950 – – 10 #2,540
1945 – – 13 #1,993
1940 – – 9 #2,622
1935 – – 18 #1,697
1930 – – 20 #1,681
1925 – – 27 #1,443
1920 – – 33 #1,269
1915 – – 28 #1,258
1910 – – – –
1905 – – 6 #1,197
1900 – – 7 #1,137
1895 – – 8 #852
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 5 #1,058
1880 – – 5 #1,025

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Orion, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Orion?

The median living Orion is about 10 years old. Half of all living Orions are between 5 and 20 years old.

How many people named Orion are alive today?

An estimated 23 thousand people named Orion are alive in the United States, based on 23,750 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Orion mean?

Orion is both a surname and a male given name usually derived from the character from Greek mythology or the constellation named for the character.

How popular is the name Orion in 2025?

Orion ranked #334 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,012 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Orion?

23,750 babies have been named Orion in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Orion most popular?

Orion peaked in 2018, when 1,186 newborns received the name.

Is Orion a boy or girl name?

Orion is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Orion rising or falling?

Orion is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Orion become more popular?

Orion looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 982 boys named Orion in 2030, ranking around #339. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Orion

Names that sound and feel close to Orion: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Orion with similar names → More names starting with O →