boy's name
Orion
oh-RY-un
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 26,973
the United States
#334
2025 births
Orion is a boy's name of Greek origin, borne by the mythological hunter and the constellation named for him. Its own root is uncertain — a borrowing from an Akkadian phrase meaning light of heaven has been proposed, but the Greeks themselves offered a much cruder story.
- Orion is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2018, when 1,186 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,219 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Orion 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 | 34 |
| 1890s | 49 |
| 1900s | 37 |
| 1910s | 197 |
| 1920s | 281 |
| 1930s | 154 |
| 1940s | 121 |
| 1950s | 84 |
| 1960s | 82 |
| 1970s | 500 |
| 1980s | 733 |
| 1990s | 1,940 |
| 2000s | 4,507 |
| 2010s | 8,832 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,199 |
What Orion means
Orion has no established meaning. The reading heaven's light comes from a proposed Akkadian source, Uru-anna, and is a suggestion rather than a translation — the name may have entered Greek from Mesopotamian star lore along with the constellation itself.
Where Orion comes from
Orion names the giant hunter of Greek myth, placed among the stars after his death and visible as one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. The name's derivation is unresolved. One proposal borrows it from the Akkadian Uru-anna, light of heaven, which would fit the Mesopotamian origins of much Greek star lore. The Greeks themselves told a coarser story, deriving the name from ouron and the manner of his conception, which is a textbook folk etymology — an explanation invented to fit a name already in use. The constellation appears in the Book of Job and in Homer, making it one of the oldest named star groups on record.
Orion in use
Orion appears in our records in every year from 1880 and charts in six of the seven countries we track.
How popular is Orion?
In 2025, Orion was given to 1,030 babies in the United States, ranking #334 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Orion 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.
Names that peaked alongside Orion
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Orion also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Orion over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Orion
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Orion 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.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Oryon
Sibling names for Orion
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Orion — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Orion
What does the name Orion mean?
It is uncertain. Light of heaven is a proposal based on a possible Akkadian source, not an established translation.
Who was Orion in Greek mythology?
A giant hunter placed among the stars after his death. The constellation named for him is one of the oldest recorded, appearing in both Homer and the Book of Job.
How do you pronounce Orion?
oh-RY-un, with the stress on the second syllable.
How popular is the name Orion?
In 2025, Orion was given to 1,030 babies in the United States, ranking #334 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Orion a girl's or a boy's name?
Orion is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Orion?
Orion has 3 syllables.
When was Orion most popular?
Orion peaked in 2018, when 1,186 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Orion?
Orion is usually shortened to Ori and Rio.
Is Orion a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Orion currently ranks #334 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.