Orson

Orson: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “bear cub”
Origin: French
Say it: OR-sun · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Old French Orson, related to Latin ursus meaning 'bear.' It is also known through the filmmaker and actor Orson Welles.

French names English names Names meaning animal Classic names Literary names

How popular is Orson?

202436.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Orson in 2024119

2024 rank#1,498 boys

Peak year1883

Total US babies since 18802,586

Orson is rising: use over the last five years is 3.4× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Orson

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Oliverolive tree · French
Beauhandsome · French
Calvinbald · French
Louisfamous warrior · French
Granttall; large · French
Saintholy person; saint · French
Russelllittle red-haired one · French
Travisto cross · French

Orson questions

What does the name Orson mean?

Orson means "bear cub". It comes from French. From Old French Orson, related to Latin ursus meaning 'bear.' It is also known through the filmmaker and actor Orson Welles.

Is Orson a boy or girl name?

Orson is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Orson?

119 US babies were named Orson in 2024. Its peak year was 1883.

How do you pronounce Orson?

Orson is usually pronounced OR-sun.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.