Girl · #14,823 in 2026

Orissa

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

Odisha, spelled Orissa until 2011, is a state located in eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south.

Current Rank

#14,823

Peak Rank

#8,391 (1988)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1917

First Year

2011

Last Year

1988

Peak Year

#8391

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Orissa

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

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

Etymology

See also: History of Odisha § Historical names of Odisha The terms Odisha and Orissa ( Odia : ଓଡ଼ିଶା , Oṛissa ) derive from the ancient Prakrit word "Odda Visaya" (also " Udra Bibhasha " or " Odra Bibhasha ") as in the Tirumalai inscription of Rajendra Chola I , which is dated to 1025. Sarala Das , who translated the Mahabharata into the Odia language in the 15th century, calls the region 'Odra Rashtra' as Odisha. The inscriptions of Kapilendra Deva of the Gajapati Kingdom (1435–67) on the walls of temples in Puri call the region Odisha or Odisha Rajya . In 2011, the English rendering of ଓଡ଼ିଶ

Origin & history

Main articles: History of Odisha and Historic sites in Odisha Lingaraja Temple built by the Somavanshi king Jajati Keshari Prehistoric Acheulian tools dating to Lower Paleolithic era have been discovered in various places in the region, implying an early settlement by humans. Kalinga has been mentioned in ancient texts like Mahabharata , Vayu Purana and Mahagovinda Suttanta . According to political scientist Sudama Misra, the Kalinga janapada originally comprised the area covered by the Puri and Ganjam districts. The Sabar people of Odisha have also been mentioned in the Mahabharata. Baudhayan

The Story of Orissa

Orissa first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1917, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1988, when 8 Orissas were born — ranking #8,391 that year. As of 2026, Orissa ranks #14,823 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 61 Orissas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Orissa

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

Oryza
Oracy
Orison
Oris
Orris
Arisa
Orsa
Orisha
Orrison
Arosa
Orosi
Orrice

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Orissa

What does the name Orissa mean?

How popular is Orissa in 2026?

In 2026, Orissa ranks #14,823 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Orissa most popular?

Orissa reached its peak popularity in 1988, ranking #8,391 that year with 8 babies given the name.

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

Orissa has historically been most popular in New York. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Orissa.

Is Orissa a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Orissa?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Orissa include Amalee, Stewart, Santiago. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Orissa

Orissa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1917 and has accumulated 61 births in the dataset. Orissa's peak popularity came in 1988 when it ranked #8,391. Use the chart and map above to compare Orissa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.