boy's name
Oran
OR-an
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 8,053
Scotland
#124
2024 births
Oran is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "little dun one," the anglicized spelling of Odhrán, whose saint was the first buried at Iona. It ranks 124th in Scotland and 174th in Northern Ireland.
- Oran is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 1922, when 104 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 174,520 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Oran over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 76 |
| 1890s | 95 |
| 1900s | 141 |
| 1910s | 600 |
| 1920s | 839 |
| 1930s | 520 |
| 1940s | 471 |
| 1950s | 374 |
| 1960s | 248 |
| 1970s | 230 |
| 1980s | 165 |
| 1990s | 169 |
| 2000s | 201 |
| 2010s | 203 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 115 |
What Oran means
Oran means little dun one, or little sallow one, from the Irish odhar. The color word covers dun, grayish-brown and sallow rather than black, so dusky is closer than dark.
Where Oran comes from
Oran is the anglicized form of the Irish Odhrán, from odhar — dun, sallow or grayish-brown — with the diminutive -án. Its saint is Odhrán of Iona, a companion of Columba who died shortly after the community was founded in 563 and was the first buried in its graveyard, still called the Reilig Odhráin, where many early Scottish kings lie. A later and grimmer tradition, unsupported by any early source, has him volunteer to be buried alive so the chapel would stand. That Iona connection is why the name has a Scottish life at all, and why Oran ranks higher in Scotland than the Irish-spelled Odhran does. The name is unrelated to the Algerian city of Oran, whose name is Berber, and to the Hebrew Oren, meaning pine tree.
Oran in use
Oran ranks 124th in Scotland with 40 births in 2024, 174th in Northern Ireland and 280th in Ireland, and it is stable in our data with a peak in 1922. Our records carry it from 1880. The Irish-spelled Odhran is written up separately. Odhran ranks 40th in Northern Ireland, so the two spellings together stand considerably higher than either alone.
How popular is Oran?
In 2025, Oran was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Oran is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Oran is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Óran | Óran is a rare spelling of Oran, written with a fada and recorded 42 times, mostly in Ireland. | 42 |
| Orán | Orán is a rare spelling of Oran, written with a fada and recorded 11 times, mostly in Ireland. | 11 |
Names that peaked alongside Oran
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Oran also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Oran over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Oran in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Hebrew
- Oren
Sibling names for Oran
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Oran — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Oran
What does the name Oran mean?
Oran means "little dun one," from the Irish odhar, a dun or sallow color.
Is Oran the same as Odhran?
Yes — Oran is the anglicized spelling. Registers count them separately.
Why is Oran used in Scotland?
Saint Odhrán was buried at Iona, and the graveyard there still carries his name.
Is it related to the Hebrew Oren?
No. Oren means pine tree and is a separate name.
How popular is the name Oran?
In 2025, Oran was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Oran a girl's or a boy's name?
Oran is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Oran?
Oran has 2 syllables.
When was Oran most popular?
Oran peaked in 1922, when 104 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Oran a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Oran currently ranks #124 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.