Orson

AW-son; OR-son

Latin and English

"bear cub"

Orson Origin and Meaning

The name Orson is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "bear cub".

In the past, Orson has felt like a one-person moniker, tied to film director Orson Welles, who dropped his given name of George in favor of his more distinctive middle. While the Citizen Kane creator seemed to own the name during his lifetime, it's now an interesting possibility for any parent seeking an unusual yet solid name. It's started to appear to the celeb set too -- both Paz Vega and Lauren Ambrose have little Orsons.

Unusual but grounded, Orson sounds enough like the word "awesome" that it immediately feels really cool. It is derived from an old Norman nickname, meaning "bear cub", giving it the animal/nature connection of the popular Arthur, Oscar, and Leo, plus the possibility of well-loved nicknames Teddy and Bear.

While it hasn't appeared in the US Top 1000 since the beginning of the 20th century, over the last decade use of Orson has more than tripled. Given to around 130 babies in 2023 - the highest number of Orsons born in a single year so far - it could well continue to rise up the charts.

Other noteworthy namesakes include the comic actor Orson Bean and theDesperate Housewives character Orson Hodge.

Orson also appears in a 15th century story about two brothers named Valentine and Orson, in which the latter was carried off by a bear and raised as one of its cubs. And, for a literary connection, in Charlotte Bronte's novel Villette, the narrator Lucy Snowe gets called the French variation of the name Ourson as one of the many nicknames bestowed on her by Ginevra Fanshawe.

In the UK, Orson is in the Top 500 and it is also a Namberry favorite.

Orson Rank in US Top 1000

# 921 in the US

Orson Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 301 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Orson

• 301 Nameberry 2025
• 500 Unique 2024
• 385 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Orson

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Orson.

• Ira
• Ansel
• Roscoe
• Amos
• Linus
• Cormac
• Rafferty
• Otto
• Asa
• Bram
• Ewan
• Phineas
• Dashiell
• Alby
• Leif
• Otis
• Darcy
• Finnian
• Kit
• Angus

Famous People Named Orson

• (George) Orson Welles American actor, director and writer
• Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows) American actor
• Orson Scott Card American science fiction novelist
• Orson Chaplin American actor and grandson of Charlie Chaplin
• Orson Squire Fowler American phrenologist who invented the octagon house
• Orson Handel (b. 2007) son of actress Lauren Ambrose and Samuel Handel
• Orson Salazar Jr., (b. 2007), son of actress Paz Vega and Orson Salazar
• Orson Wheeler (b. 2010) daughter of actress Tina Hobley and Oliver Wheeler

The name Orson in Pop Culture

• Orson Hodge character on TV's 'Desperate Housewives'
• Orson J. Pig intelligent book,loving pig in comic strip/TV series "US Acres"
• Orson Bailey character on TV's 'The 4400'
• Orson Krennic character in film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
• Orson unseen supervisor of Mork on TV's "Mork & Mindy"
• Orson Pink character on TV's "Doctor Who"
• "Valentine and Orson " medieval romance
• Orson Indiana, fictional setting of TV's 'The Middle'
• Orson Lannister mentioned in the 'Game of Thrones' series
• Orson fictional character in the game, "Fire Emblem, The Sacred Stones."
• Orson fictional character in "Pac Man World" and "Pac Man World 3"

International Variations of the name Orson

• Ourson French
• Orsino Italian