# Orpheus (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/orpheus/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “orphan” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɔɹ.fi.əs/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Orphic |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 81 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 81 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 23, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ὀρφεύς (Orpheús), built from an uncertain root with the -εύς (-eús) suffix. Perhaps root-cognate to Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, “orphan”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1916 | 5 | 4,338 |
| 1922 | 6 | 4,193 |
| 1925 | 5 | 4,724 |
| 1967 | 9 | 2,923 |
| 1968 | 11 | 2,688 |
| 1969 | 7 | 3,839 |
| 1973 | 5 | 5,658 |
| 1974 | 5 | 5,780 |
| 1975 | 6 | 5,277 |
| 1976 | 5 | 6,237 |
| 1986 | 5 | 7,517 |
| 1987 | 7 | 5,920 |
| 2024 | 5 | 13,719 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3 | 4,685 |
| 2014 | 3 | 4,632 |
| 2020 | 4 | 3,848 |
| 2023 | 3 | 4,991 |
| 2024 | 5 | 3,688 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3,684 |

## In other languages

- Bulgarian: Орфей
- Chinese: 奧菲厄斯 /奥菲厄斯
- Hebrew: אורפיאוס
- Italian: Orfeo

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.