Orion
Meaning
traditionally son of fire; hunter constellation
The story
Orion is the hunter who became a constellation, traditionally read as son of fire, and it is the night sky's contribution to tonight's batches: the celestial register where Luna and Nova also shine. The record kept it a curiosity for a century, under 300 a decade into the 1960s, then the ascent: about 500, 730, 1,900, 4,500, 8,800 in the 2010s, and 6,200 so far this decade, closing on the full total, five consecutive rising decades and counting. In our records it goes to boys about 23,100 to 630. The constellation is the most recognizable in the northern winter, three stars for a belt and a nebula for a sword, which gives every young Orion a homework assignment that doubles as a birthright: find yourself in the sky. Few names deliver that, and the record says families have noticed.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Orion peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
842 people · the #9,308 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 250,000 · median age 43
Among people named Orion living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 53 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Orion
Most people given the name Orion in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Orion deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Orion truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Orion fits with your family’s names and surname.
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