Popularity: The name Orval ranked 954th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

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).