Orma

♀ Girl

Pronounced OR-muh /ˈɔr.mə/Medium

Meaning: Orma is a vintage American girls' name whose origin is uncertain. It is most plausibly a short form or respelling in the family of Norma and Erma, sharing their soft -ma ending, rather than a name with a single documented root.Low

In 30 seconds: Orma is a vintage name, likely related to Norma or Erma. It was used from the late eighteen-hundreds and is said 'OR-muh'.

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Origin LowEnglish, American

MeaningOrma is a vintage American girls' name whose origin is uncertain. It is most plausibly a short form or respelling in the family of Norma and Erma, sharing their soft -ma ending, rather than a name with a single documented root.

U.S. rank (1950)#4224 ↘ Falling

1950 U.S. births8 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1921

Total births (all-time)≈ 699

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Orma is a vintage girls' name with an uncertain origin, best understood as part of the Norma and Erma family of short -ma names rather than as a word with a single fixed meaning. It may be a respelling, a blend, or a family coinage; such compact, melodic names were fashionable in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Orma was never common, given to only a few dozen girls a year around its faint peak near 1921 before fading by mid-century. Someone named Orma then would be elderly or passed on now, so the name reads as a genuine early-1900s choice that has not returned in the recent vintage revival, and its precise root stays uncertain.

Did you know? Orma belongs to a cluster of short vintage -ma names, Orma, Erma, Alma, Norma, that were popular around the turn of the last century and often overlapped in families and records.

Overall data confidence 40%

References - Orma — vintage name; likely kin to Norma/Erma; origin uncertain

Variations

NormaErmaOrmahOrme

Nicknames

OrOrmie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Orma…

Norma— a likely source name sharing the -orma sound

Erma— a closely related vintage -ma name

Alma— a fellow short vintage -ma girls' name

Velma— another cozy early-1900s -ma name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Orma mean?

Orma is a vintage name, most likely a short form related to Norma or Erma.

How do you pronounce Orma?

It's said OR-muh /ˈɔr.mə/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Orma a boy or girl name?

Orma is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Orma?

Orma is rare, a vintage American girls' name from the early nineteen-hundreds.