Orion

Today's name: Orion

Image from www.astrosurf.com

Pronunciation: or-RY-on

Potential nicknames: Ri/Ry, Rion, Ory/Orrie

Origin: Greek, meaning unknown, but possibly related to the Greek word horion, meaning "boundary," or "limit." Some claim it means "son of fire," or "son of light," others say "dweller on the mountain." Orion was the hunter son of Poseidon, the Greek god. In some myths, Orion loved the goddess Diana but she accidentally killed him, so he was turned into a constellation. In other myths, he was accidentally killed by Artemis, and Zeus placed him in the sky as a constellation. Either way, you can now see his constellation at night. People sometimes simply refer to Orion as "The Hunter." Information is sometimes contested about Orion because there are several different versions of his story.

Popularity: Surprisingly, there were 555 baby boys named Orion in 2010 in the U.S., ranking at #466. There were also 13 boys named Orian, 7 named Orien, 51 named Oryan, and 5 named Oryon. In 2011 there were 8 boys named Orien, 17 Orian and 566 Orion, ranking at #472.

Fun fact: (1) If you are looking for the constellation Orion tonight, start by looking for "Orion's belt," three stars in a row that make a distinct line, as you can see in the picture above. Four bright stars make his body's outline. In the Northern Hemisphere he is easily seen between late fall to late winter.(2) Mark Twain had an older brother named Orion. (3) Orion is a popular named for many artists and writers, gracing the pages of novels and their titles, music soundtracks, and even an alien race in Star Trek. Even the Royal Navy has named ships for Orion.

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