Orville
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- OR-vil
- Origin
- French
- US rank, 2025
- #6,140 for boys
Orville is a boys' name of French origin, meaning “golden town”. In 2025 it ranked 6,140th for boys in the US (14 babies).
What does Orville mean?
French: coined by Fanny Burney, perhaps from French or 'gold' + ville 'town'
“golden town”
Fanny Burney gave it to the hero of her novel Evelina (1778); Orville Wright made the first powered flight in 1903.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Orville a girl's or a boy's name?
Orville is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Orville in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,140th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 14 about 1 in 120,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 14 boys in the US were named Orville, making it the 6,140th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,616th. Its busiest year was 1920, with 1,195 boys.
Half of all the boys named Orville in the US since 1880 were born between 1918 and 1940, the years shaded on the chart below.
Orville in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #6,140 |
| 2024 | 12 | #6,827 |
| 2023 | 12 | #6,892 |
| 2022 | 13 | #6,473 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 12 | #6,616 |
| 2019 | 17 | #5,336 |
| 2018 | 11 | #7,132 |
| 2017 | 19 | #4,931 |
| 2016 | 13 | #6,344 |
| 2015 | 12 | #6,671 |
| 2014 | 17 | #5,248 |
| 2013 | 13 | #6,236 |
| 2012 | 7 | #9,703 |
| 2011 | 9 | #8,072 |
| 2010 | 6 | #10,759 |
| 2009 | 13 | #6,432 |
| 2008 | 16 | #5,482 |
| 2007 | 9 | #8,169 |
| 2006 | 14 | #5,777 |
| 2005 | 9 | #7,633 |
| 2004 | 11 | #6,514 |
| 2003 | 12 | #5,870 |
| 2002 | 18 | #4,316 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 18 | #4,198 |
| 1999 | 12 | #5,311 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 15 | #4,241 |
| 1996 | 19 | #3,543 |
| 1995 | 26 | #2,757 |
| 1994 | 16 | #3,905 |
| 1993 | 21 | #3,135 |
| 1992 | 16 | #3,740 |
| 1991 | 17 | #3,456 |
| 1990 | 27 | #2,483 |
| 1989 | 33 | #2,100 |
| 1988 | 27 | #2,250 |
| 1987 | 26 | #2,211 |
| 1986 | 26 | #2,159 |
| 1985 | 34 | #1,763 |
| 1984 | 23 | #2,231 |
| 1983 | 29 | #1,863 |
| 1982 | 31 | #1,814 |
| 1981 | 45 | #1,411 |
| 1980 | 45 | #1,410 |
| 1979 | 39 | #1,510 |
| 1978 | 45 | #1,371 |
| 1977 | 53 | #1,210 |
| 1976 | 46 | #1,304 |
| 1975 | 71 | #970 |
| 1974 | 57 | #1,091 |
| 1973 | 63 | #1,014 |
| 1972 | 74 | #929 |
| 1971 | 81 | #904 |
| 1970 | 86 | #869 |
| 1969 | 97 | #782 |
| 1968 | 102 | #736 |
| 1967 | 82 | #802 |
| 1966 | 112 | #698 |
| 1965 | 101 | #736 |
| 1964 | 111 | #729 |
| 1963 | 135 | #673 |
| 1962 | 121 | #697 |
| 1961 | 168 | #610 |
| 1960 | 155 | #624 |
| 1959 | 176 | #587 |
| 1958 | 183 | #571 |
| 1957 | 235 | #505 |
| 1956 | 225 | #503 |
| 1955 | 196 | #521 |
| 1954 | 244 | #464 |
| 1953 | 257 | #445 |
| 1952 | 256 | #436 |
| 1951 | 255 | #425 |
| 1950 | 263 | #415 |
| 1949 | 291 | #394 |
| 1948 | 321 | #380 |
| 1947 | 399 | #341 |
| 1946 | 332 | #358 |
| 1945 | 332 | #325 |
| 1944 | 357 | #319 |
| 1943 | 476 | #281 |
| 1942 | 445 | #286 |
| 1941 | 431 | #277 |
| 1940 | 461 | #256 |
| 1939 | 494 | #236 |
| 1938 | 447 | #257 |
| 1937 | 515 | #230 |
| 1936 | 516 | #222 |
| 1935 | 581 | #207 |
| 1934 | 593 | #209 |
| 1933 | 627 | #192 |
| 1932 | 649 | #198 |
| 1931 | 656 | #201 |
| 1930 | 747 | #187 |
| 1929 | 808 | #174 |
| 1928 | 811 | #177 |
| 1927 | 856 | #172 |
| 1926 | 894 | #164 |
| 1925 | 940 | #161 |
| 1924 | 1,035 | #155 |
| 1923 | 1,012 | #152 |
| 1922 | 1,022 | #151 |
| 1921 | 1,149 | #137 |
| 1920 | 1,195 | #134 |
| 1919 | 1,120 | #133 |
| 1918 | 1,188 | #134 |
| 1917 | 1,061 | #134 |
| 1916 | 1,063 | #131 |
| 1915 | 1,076 | #127 |
| 1914 | 787 | #133 |
| 1913 | 676 | #119 |
| 1912 | 477 | #136 |
| 1911 | 230 | #146 |
| 1910 | 223 | #142 |
| 1909 | 218 | #126 |
| 1908 | 153 | #154 |
| 1907 | 148 | #152 |
| 1906 | 148 | #139 |
| 1905 | 125 | #163 |
| 1904 | 134 | #145 |
| 1903 | 125 | #149 |
| 1902 | 108 | #162 |
| 1901 | 94 | #162 |
| 1900 | 112 | #186 |
| 1899 | 94 | #160 |
| 1898 | 101 | #163 |
| 1897 | 83 | #184 |
| 1896 | 89 | #182 |
| 1895 | 92 | #169 |
| 1894 | 105 | #144 |
| 1893 | 78 | #186 |
| 1892 | 84 | #186 |
| 1891 | 56 | #211 |
| 1890 | 88 | #161 |
| 1889 | 64 | #203 |
| 1888 | 87 | #172 |
| 1887 | 54 | #210 |
| 1886 | 63 | #210 |
| 1885 | 79 | #167 |
| 1884 | 53 | #233 |
| 1883 | 59 | #197 |
| 1882 | 46 | #248 |
| 1881 | 61 | #187 |
| 1880 | 49 | #236 |
Names like Orville
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
George, Lawrence, Wallace, Otis, Archie, Eugene, Clyde, Charlie, Arthur, William, Ollie, Lyle
More French names
Eleanor, Beau, Esme, Darcie, Darcy, Genevieve, Amy, Esmae, Arleth, Elle, Russell, Monty, Mallory, Percy, Lacey, Belle
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Orville: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/orville, updated 20 October 2026.