Girl · #13,924 in 2026

Oprah

Name: Popularity of the name Oprah in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Oprah, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Globally, she is the richest Black woman and the wealthiest female celebrity.

Current Rank

#13,924

Peak Rank

#2,657 (1987)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1986

First Year

2007

Last Year

1987

Peak Year

#2657

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Oprah

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Oprah

Oprah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1986, with 12 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1987, when 37 Oprahs were born — ranking #2,657 that year. As of 2026, Oprah ranks #13,924 for baby girls with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 99 Oprahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Oprah

Phonetically similar names — useful when Oprah is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Opra
Obra
Obre
Opera
Apra
Opa
Opia
Copra
Abra
Opry
Appro
Ibra

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Oprah

What does the name Oprah mean?

How popular is Oprah in 2026?

In 2026, Oprah ranks #13,924 among girls' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year.

When was Oprah most popular?

Oprah reached its peak popularity in 1987, ranking #2,657 that year with 37 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Oprah most popular?

Oprah has historically been most popular in Louisiana, Florida. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Oprah.

Is Oprah a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Oprah is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Oprah?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Oprah include Philip, Lavita, Lyndee. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Oprah

Oprah is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1986 and has accumulated 99 births in the dataset. Oprah's peak popularity came in 1987 when it ranked #2,657. Use the chart and map above to compare Oprah's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

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Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.