Unisex name · since 1880

Ora

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 39,278 babies named Ora, peaking in 1919. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#698 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#3,712 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
39,278
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Ora currently ranks #3712 among unisex names in America, with 39,278 babies recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ora has been recorded 39,278 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #3712 nationally and more common than 79% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #698 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #3,712 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 39,278 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ora ranks #698 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,712 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 39,278 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#698 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#3,712 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
39,278
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%78.5%
Ora vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Ora's 39,278 recorded births place it above 99.03% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

40 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Mississippi.

How Ora compares

39,278 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Ora's all-time total is 104x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ora Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 39,278 376 567,345
Peak-year births 920 21 19,840

Ora's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Ora's full recorded timeline at 1953, 10% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 90% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1990, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1919 peak of 920 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Ora popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1919)
920
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
02004006008001,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 40

Ora popularity over time - boys

5,616 total births recorded since 1880 (Ora as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 5,616 births
050100150200 188018961912192819441960197619932024 5

Ora by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (7,876 births, 20% of the file).

1920s was Ora's strongest decade.

7,876 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.

Ora births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,876 births (20% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Ora compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ora's total volume

Ora vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 406080100120140160 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 3.4%-146, 1.5%-126, 6.5%-60, 5.1%-120, 3.4%-140, 3.3%-146, 2%-76, 5.8%-107, 3.9%-60, 6.8%-146, 2.6%-114, 4.4%-66, 6.7%-78, 3.2%-146, 2.7%Ora-146, 2.3%Ora
Ora vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Ora by state

Where Ora concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ora
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Mississippi
3,380 8.6%
#2 Texas
3,035 7.7%
#3 Alabama
2,229 5.7%
#4 Louisiana
1,721 4.4%
#5 Arkansas
1,673 4.3%
#6 Tennessee
1,596 4.1%
#7 Georgia
1,547 3.9%
#8 Kentucky
1,395 3.6%
Mississippi share of Ora's total US births 8.6%
Even split

3,380 of 39,278 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.

Ora appears in 40 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ora?
Ora has been given to 39,278 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #698 of 72,339 among girls' names (total births, highest first). Among girls in 2025, it is #3,712 of 17,297. 920 babies were born in 1919, its single highest year.
Where does Ora sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ora ranks #698 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,712 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Ora most popular?
Ora was most popular in the 1920s decade with 7,876 total births. The single peak year was 1919.
Where is Ora most popular?
The top states for the name Ora are Mississippi (3,380 births), Texas (3,035 births), Alabama (2,229 births).
Is Ora a unisex name?
Yes, Ora is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 39,278 births, and as a boy's name it has 5,616 births.
How long has the name Ora been used?
Ora has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Ora?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Oralia, Oralee, Oral, Orah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Ora's data

  • Ora's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,876 total births); usage has since declined to 244 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • Mississippi records the most Oras (3,380 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Mississippi names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Ora

Nearby Names Like Ora

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ora

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ora

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ora: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ora draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.