US rank #323 Boys' name Peak 2018 22,098 births

Orion — #323 US boys' name

22,098 babies named Orion in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s341890s491900s371910s1921920s2811930s1541940s1211950s841960s821970s5001980s7331990s18522000s43672010s85952020s5017
#323
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 98% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

39% of everyone ever named Orion was born in this single decade.

2018
Single peak year

1,152 babies were named Orion in 2018 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Orion

The Social Security Administration has registered 22,098 babies named Orion between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Orion currently holds the #323 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2018, when 1,152 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Orion performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 8,595 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Orion shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 3,228 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and Florida. In total, SSA state-level files list Orion in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Orion in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 22,098 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Orion at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

22,098

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2018

1,152 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#323

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Orion popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2018)
1,152
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420081992197619571940192419071880 5

Orion popularity over time — girls

612 total births recorded since 1917 (Orion as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 612 births
01020304050 20242019201420092004199919941917 5

Orion by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
8,595 births that decade — 39% of Orion's all-time total
1880s341890s491900s371910s1921920s2811930s1541940s1211950s841960s821970s5001980s7331990s18522000s43672010s85952020s5017

Orion by state

Where Orion concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Orion
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
3,228 14.6%
#2 Texas
1,489 6.7%
#3 Florida
1,075 4.9%
#4 New York
980 4.4%
#5 Washington
906 4.1%
#6 Colorado
774 3.5%
#7 Arizona
706 3.2%
#8 Pennsylvania
666 3.0%
California share of Orion's total US births 14.6%
Even split

3,228 of 22,098 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.

Orion appears in 50 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Orion?
22,098 babies have been named Orion since 1880. It currently ranks #323 among boys. The peak year was 2018 with 1,152 births.
When was Orion most popular?
Orion was most popular in the 2010s decade with 8,595 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Orion most popular?
The top states for the name Orion are California (3,228 births), Texas (1,489 births), Florida (1,075 births).
How long has the name Orion been used?
Orion has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Orion?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Orin, Orie, Oris, Ori, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Orion

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.