How popular is the baby name Orison in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Orison.

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Popularity of the baby name Orison


Posts that mention the name Orison

What turned Bronco into a baby name in 1960?

The character Bronco Layne (played by Ty Hardin) from the TV series "Bronco" (1958-1962)
Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne

The unlikely name Bronco first popped up in the U.S. baby name data in 1960:

  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 5 baby boys named Bronco [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted

Around the same time, the streamlined name Ty became markedly more popular:

  • 1963: 372 baby boys named Ty [rank: 417th]
  • 1962: 357 baby boys named Ty [rank: 423rd]
  • 1961: 323 baby boys named Ty [rank: 452nd]
  • 1960: 254 baby boys named Ty [rank: 495th]
  • 1959: 188 baby boys named Ty [rank: 571st]
  • 1958: 82 baby boys named Ty [rank: 831st]
  • 1957: 64 baby boys named Ty [rank: 952nd]

Both names were influenced by the same thing: TV western Bronco (1958-1962), which starred actor Ty Hardin as former Confederate officer Bronco Layne.

(The names Layne and Lane also saw upticks in usage in 1959 specifically.)

Ty Hardin was initially hired to play Bronco Layne on the series Cheyenne while there was a contract dispute going on between Warner Brothers and Cheyenne star Clint Walker. After the dispute ended and Clint returned to Cheyenne, the company decided to create a spin-off series featuring Hardin’s character.

So why was the character called “Bronco”? Here’s what the show’s theme song said: “There ain’t a horse that he can’t handle, that’s how he got his name.”

And how did Ty Hardin get his name? It wasn’t from his parents; his birth name was Orison Whipple Hungerford. Here’s one explanation:

He took the name Ty Hardin — according to some news accounts, Ty was short for a childhood nickname, Typhoon, and Hardin was a reference to the western outlaw John Wesley Hardin — after signing with Warner Bros.

Another explanation is simply that his agent was Henry Willson, who had a knack for coining catchy stage names (e.g., Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter).

Sources: Bronco (TV series) – Wikipedia, Ty Hardin, rugged actor who played Bronco Layne in TV westerns, dies at 87

Hollywood names invented by Henry Willson

American talent agent Henry Willson (1911-1978)
Henry Willson

Hollywood talent agent Henry Willson — the man behind the beefcake craze of the 1950s — liked to invent snappy stage names for his clients. “Catchy, iterative, marquee-size monikers were his trademark.”

And several of his clients (such as Troy Donahue, and Tab Hunter) went on to achieve so much fame that they, in turn, had an influence on U.S. baby names.

Here are some of the names that Willson came up with (or helped come up with):

Stage nameReal name
Chad EverettRaymon Cramton
Guy MadisonRobert Moseley
John SaxonCarmine Orrico
Rhonda FlemingMarilyn Louis
Rock HudsonRoy Fitzgerald
Rory CalhounFrancis McCown
Tab HunterArthur Gelien
Touch Connors (later known as Mike Connors)Krekor Ohanian
Troy DonahueMerle Johnson
Ty Hungerford (later known as Ty Hardin)Orison Hungerford
Yale SummersRoy Neuvohner

Red-headed Rhonda Fleming’s surname was chosen because it sounded like the word flaming.

Speaking of flames, Rory Calhoun’s first name was inspired by Francis McCown’s brief stint as a firefighter (i.e., “roaring blazes”).

Which group of names do you prefer, the stage names (on the left) or the real names (on the right)?

Sources:

  • Henry Willson – Wikipedia
  • Hofler, Robert. The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2006.
  • Hunter, Tab and Eddie Muller. Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2006.

Image: Clipping from Modern Screen (Oct. 1946)

[Latest update: Oct. 2025]