Unisex name · since 1883

Orel

Orel has 562 recorded births since 1883 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1916 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#7,363 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#10,720 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
562
born since 1883
1910s
peak decade

562 babies have been named Orel since 1883, making it today's #10720 unisex name.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Orel has been recorded 562 times among boys since 1883, currently ranked #10720 nationally and more common than 23% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1910s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1883 to 2025.

  • #7,363 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #10,720 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 562 born since 1883
  • 1910s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Orel ranks #7,363 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,720 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 562 born since 1883, peaking in the 1910s.

#7,363 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#10,720 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
562
born since 1883
1910s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%23%
Orel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Orel's 562 recorded births place it above 83.8% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

3 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.

How Orel compares

562 Top 42% higher than 58% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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

Orel's all-time total is 52% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Orel Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 562 369 358,536
Peak-year births 27 34 22,252

Orel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Orel's SSA record in two at 1942 and the more recent half accounts for 41% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 59%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1883, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1916 peak of 27, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Orel popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1883–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1916)
27
Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
051015202530 188319161924193319421991200320132025 6

Orel popularity over time - girls

136 total births recorded since 1915 (Orel as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 136 births
01020304050 19151916191719181919192119272009 6

Orel by decade

1910s is the heaviest window (122 births, 22% of the file).

1910s was Orel's strongest decade.

122 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.

Orel births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 122 births (22% of all-time use).

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

How Orel compares to similarly-sized names

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

Orel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150 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 -51, 5.3%-70, 2.8%-36, 5.2%-71, 4.4%-43, 17.5%-26, 8.9%-26, 8.3%-46, 8.4%-55, 8.9%-23, 8%-46, 3.7%-27, 6.4%-52, 4.1%-56, 4.3%-30, 7.3%Orel-143, 4.8%Orel
Orel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Orel by state

Where Orel concentrates geographically, total births since 1883

Geographically diffuse
Top 3 states by recorded births for the name Orel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
12 2.1%
#2 Kentucky
5 0.9%
#3 New York
5 0.9%
California share of Orel's total US births 2.1%
Even split

12 of 562 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Orel? ▼
562 babies have been named Orel since 1883. All-time, it sits at #7,363 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #10,720 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1916 with 27 births.
Where does Orel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Orel ranks #7,363 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,720 of 13,930 among boys' 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 Orel most popular? ▼
Orel was most popular in the 1910s decade with 122 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Orel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Orel are California (12 births), Kentucky (5 births), New York (5 births).
Is Orel a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Orel is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 562 births, and as a girl's name it has 136 births.
How long has the name Orel been used? ▼
Records for Orel go back to 1883, giving 143 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Orel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Oren, Oreste, Orestes, Orest, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Orel's data

  • Orel's decade-level peak was the 1910s (122 total births); usage has since declined to 24 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Orels (12 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

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

Keep exploring Orel

Nearby Names Like Orel

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

Oren Boy
#1183 9,502 births
Oreste Boy
357 births
Orestes Boy
343 births
Orest Boy
#5640 310 births
Orenthal Boy
277 births

Compare Orel side by side: Orel vs Oren Orel vs Oreste Orel vs Orestes

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Orel

Rogers #10719
7,035 births · Peak 1950
Hill #10721
577 births · Peak 1919
Garnet #10718
2,010 births · Peak 1919
Osborn #10722
603 births · Peak 1923
Caswell #10717
333 births · Peak 1923
Prentice #10723
3,929 births · Peak 1939
Casimiro #10716
1,084 births · Peak 1921
Epifanio #10724
1,997 births · Peak 1930

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Orel: 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, 1883–2025 (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 Orel 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.