Ora

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Girl or boy · Uncertain

Ora

Say it: OR-uh

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Meaning

Uncertain. A 19th-century American name of unclear origin, sometimes linked to Latin orare 'to pray'; the Hebrew word ora 'light' is a separate, later name.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Used for both girls and boys in the United States around 1880 to 1910.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1880s

In the United States

012318801900192019401960198020002020Girls 1881Boys 1883per 1,000 babies of that sex
  • 44,674 babies given this name since 1880
  • At its height in 1886, about 1 in 504 girls
  • 34 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
  2. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

AmericanEnglish

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
  • National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.