Oprah Winfrey disclosed her original given name, Orpah, to Keke Palmer during an episode of the talk show “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.” Winfrey explained that the name is derived from the Bible, specifically the Book of Ruth.
"It was Orpah from the Bible,” Winfrey told Palmer. “Ruth, first chapter, 14th verse. It’s that whole Ruth and Naomi story.” She further elaborated on the biblical narrative, quoting Ruth’s loyalty and Orpah’s decision to return, stating, “And you know, Ruth said, ‘Wherever thy goest, I will go.’ And then Orpah said, ‘I’m going back. I’m sorry. I can’t. Too long. The road’s too long.’”
When Palmer inquired why Winfrey adopted the name Oprah, the media mogul cited childhood spelling difficulties. “Nobody knew how to spell it,” Winfrey recalled. “So, it turned out on my birth certificate, it’s Orpah. And then people started calling me Oprah. And so it’s just the difference between the P being before the R or after the R. So once they started with Oprah, that’s it.”
Winfrey, 72, mentioned that she was around 20 years old when she realized her birth certificate listed her name as Orpah, distinct from how she was known. She also pointed out that Palmer’s birth certificate name is Lauren Keyana Palmer.
This revelation echoes previous explanations by Winfrey about her name. In a 1983 audition tape, Winfrey discussed the origins of her name, attributing it to her Aunt Ida, who named her Orpah from the Bible. The difficulty in spelling the name within her household, she explained, ultimately led to the common pronunciation and spelling of Oprah.
Her media company, Harpo Productions, is famously named by spelling Oprah backward, further referencing the origin of her public persona. The name Orpah is a biblical figure who chose not to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, after the death of her husband, and returned to her own people, contrasting with Ruth who pledged to stay with Naomi.