The first name Orion
A boy’s name from Greek meaning “heaven's light”.
Pronounced /əˈɹaɪ.ən/ 3 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Greek origin
Orion means “heaven's light” in Greek.
From Middle English Orioun, from Latin Ōrīōn, from Ancient Greek Ὠρίων (Ōríōn), speculatively from Akkadian 𒌋𒊒𒀭𒈾 (Uru-anna, “heaven's light”), though without any firm evidence.
More names that mean light.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 113 boys were named Orion, making it the 370th most popular boys’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Orion with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Orion at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,012 boys born in the United States were named Orion, the 334th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2018, when 1,152 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Orion
1 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Orion of ThebesEgyptian grammarian, 500–460
More Greek boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Orion mean?
- Orion means “heaven's light” in Greek.
- What is the origin of the name Orion?
- From Middle English Orioun, from Latin Ōrīōn, from Ancient Greek Ὠρίων (Ōríōn), speculatively from Akkadian 𒌋𒊒𒀭𒈾 (Uru-anna, “heaven's light”), though without any firm evidence.
- How popular is the name Orion?
- In 2025, 113 boys born in England and Wales were named Orion, ranking 370th.
- Is Orion a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 97% of the 23,750 US babies named Orion since 1880 were boys.
- When was Orion most popular?
- 2018 in the United States, when 1,152 babies were named Orion, its highest rank at 300th.
- How do you pronounce Orion?
- Orion is /əˈɹaɪ.ən/, 3 syllables.