Alternative Spellings: Orval and Orvil
Popularity:
The name Orville ranked 430th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.
Narrative:
This name was invented by Fanny Burney for a character in her 1779 novel Evelina. Its modern popularity is probably due to admiration for aviation pioneer Orville Wright (1871-1948).