About the name Orson
Orson means bear cub, which is a lot of name for a newborn and precisely why it appeals to a certain kind of parent. It has never cracked the American top thousand in living memory, so a boy called Orson is likely to be the only one he ever meets.
Orson is a boy name of Norman French origin, pronounced OR-sun. On the NameRarity scale it scores 82 out of 100, which places it in the very rare band — a genuinely uncommon pick — most people have never met anyone with this name. Its strongest period was the 1930s.
Name facts at a glance
How popular is Orson?
Orson currently falls outside the US top 1,000, which is a large part of why it scores so highly for rarity. Roughly 5.2 people per million carry it — about 1 in 192,308. In a school of 1,000 pupils you would expect not to find a single one.
Famous people named Orson
- Orson WellesAmerican filmmaker and actor
- Orson Scott CardAmerican science fiction author
Spellings and variants of Orson
Names similar to Orson
Gideon
GID-ee-un
Hewer, mighty warrior
Ojas
OH-jus
Vital energy, bodily lustre in Ayurveda
Hudson
HUD-sun
Son of Hudde
Orion
oh-RY-un
Rising in the sky, hunter
Otis
OH-tis
Wealthy, prosperous
Thurston
THUR-stun
Thor's stone
Warren
WOR-en
Park keeper, enclosure
Angad
UN-gud
Armlet or bracelet worn on the upper arm, and the vanara prince of the Ramayana
Orson — frequently asked questions
What does the name Orson mean?
Orson means "Bear cub". It is a name of Norman French origin, most often given to a boy.
How do you pronounce Orson?
Orson is pronounced OR-sun, with 2 syllables.
How rare is the name Orson?
Orson scores 82 out of 100 on the NameRarity scale, which makes it very rare. Roughly 1 in every 192,308 people carry it — about 5.2 per million.
What is the numerology number for Orson?
Orson carries the expression number 9, known as The Humanitarian. Its soul urge number is 3 and its personality number is 6.
What is the lucky number and lucky colour for Orson?
The lucky number for Orson is 9 (with 18, 27, 36 also favourable), and its lucky colour is Coral Flame. The traditional lucky day is Tuesday and the associated gemstone is Bloodstone.