Given name & surname
Orin
“a dark-haired beauty”
Orin is used as a given name and a surname. One Irish interpretation is “a dark-haired beauty.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Irish interpretation is “a dark-haired beauty.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Orin has a related form in Oran. The history of Oran gives this family its wider story. Oran’s historical associations include various early saints, most notably a 6th-century abbot of Meath.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Orin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,299
- 6,283 boys · 16 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 111 babies
- 2025
- 85
- #1,859 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 85 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,859 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 111 in 1920. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,394 as a first name in 2020; 241 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Orin’s family of names
In English usage, Orin has a related form in Oren. In English usage, Orin has a related form in Orrin. In English usage, Orin has a related form in Oran.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Orenvariant · English
- Orrinvariant · English
- Oranvariant · English
- Orynvariant
- Orinavariant
- Orinevariant
- Orinnlikely variant
- Mowlinvariant · tao
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Orin
- Orin C. SmithAmerican businessman (1942-2018)
- Orin de Waardfootball playerborn 1983
- Orin G. MurfinUnited States Navy admiral (1876–1956)
- Orin KerrAmerican legal scholarborn 1971
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Orin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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