Recorded 1888–1972 Boys' name Peak 1919 1,157 births

Orvel — boys' name

1,157 babies named Orvel in U.S. Social Security records since 1888, with the highest year being 1919. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s91890s101900s311910s2711920s3461930s2281940s1431950s771960s341970s8
1920s
Peak decade

30% of everyone ever named Orvel was born in this single decade.

1919
Single peak year

56 babies were named Orvel in 1919 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Orvel

The Social Security Administration has registered 1,157 babies named Orvel between 1888 and 1972, spanning 85 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Orvel currently falls outside the top 1,000 boys' names for 1972. The name reached its historical peak in 1919, when 56 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Orvel performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 346 births during that ten-year window. Across the 10 decades of recorded activity, Orvel shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Oklahoma, which accounts for 77 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Missouri and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Orvel in 7 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Orvel 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 1,157 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.

Orvel at a glance

Last recorded 1972

Total births

1,157

Since 1888

85 years of records

Peak year

1919

56 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 1972

Active since

1888

Recorded for 85 years

Last year on file: 1972

Orvel popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–1888

Last recorded 1972
Peak year (1919)
56
Annual births at peak — across 85 years of records
0204060 197219561948194019321924191619061888 9

Orvel by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
346 births that decade — 30% of Orvel's all-time total
1880s91890s101900s311910s2711920s3461930s2281940s1431950s771960s341970s8

Orvel by state

Where Orvel concentrates geographically — total births since 1888

Geographically diffuse
Top 7 states by recorded births for the name Orvel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Oklahoma
77 6.7%
#2 Missouri
32 2.8%
#3 Texas
20 1.7%
#4 Arkansas
13 1.1%
#5 Kentucky
11 1.0%
#6 Alabama
5 0.4%
#7 Illinois
5 0.4%
Oklahoma share of Orvel's total US births 6.7%
Even split

77 of 1,157 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 7 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Orvel?
1,157 babies have been named Orvel since 1888. It was last recorded in 1972. The peak year was 1919 with 56 births.
When was Orvel most popular?
Orvel was most popular in the 1920s decade with 346 total births. The single peak year was 1919.
Where is Orvel most popular?
The top states for the name Orvel are Oklahoma (77 births), Missouri (32 births), Texas (20 births).
How long has the name Orvel been used?
Orvel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1888, spanning 85 years of data through 1972.
What names are similar to Orvel?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Orville, Orval, Orvil, Orvin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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, 1888–1972 (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.