Is Orel a boy or girl name?

Orel is mostly a boy’s name. Of the 698 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 19.5% were girls and 80.5% were boys. It changed hands in 1919, and has gone mainly to boys since.

Name Legacy

Orel

Recorded 1883–2025 · United States

Orel was most popular in 1916, when 73 American babies were given the name — ranking #1,468 that year. In 2025 it ranked #22,044, with 6 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 698 people named Orel.

Orel over time

Births per year. The dot marks Orel’s peak in 1916. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Orel a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Orel is mostly a boy’s name — 19.5% of the 698 Americans given it were girls and 80.5% were boys. It changed hands: since 1919 it has gone mainly to boys, having gone mainly to girls before that. In births since 2016 it is 0% girls and 100% boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Orel

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See Orel on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org