Girl's name
Orla
Say it OR-luh
Irish origin golden princess
2 syllables
Where Orla is loved, common and rare
Common across Scotland and England and Wales. Rare in Northern Ireland, Ireland, Ontario and four more places.
1 in 134 girls born in Scotland in 2025
Scotland 22ndEngland and Wales 64thNorthern Ireland 121st
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 9 of the 40 official lists, among them Scotland (22nd), England and Wales (64th) and Northern Ireland (121st).
Show all 9 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 22nd 2025 | 134 | 1 in 134 |
| England and Wales | 64th 2025 | 721 | 1 in 351 |
| Northern Ireland | 121st 2025 | 17 | 1 in 429 |
| Ireland | 189th 2025 | 30 | 1 in 704 |
| Ontario province | 1584th 2024 | 6 | about 1 in 9,078 |
| Italy | 2927th 2024 | 2 | 1 in 89,585 |
| France | 3366th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 57,359 |
| Bonn city | 249th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,508 |
| Leipzig city | 344th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 2,624 |
Rare, below the listed names: Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
The anglicised form of Irish Órfhlaith, Orla means 'golden princess', from ór, 'gold', and flaith, 'princess'.
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Two syllables, OR-luh, give it a warm, simple sound. Órfhlaith is the Irish original.
Orla ranks high in Scotland and is used in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, while it is very rare in Italy and France. The French records first show it in 1999 and place its peak in 2005. Its trend is fairly steady, with slightly more rises than falls. It is a firmly Irish and British name with a clear, attractive meaning that is easy to explain.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- OR-luh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
golden princess
- Origin
- Irish
- Other spellings
- Órfhlaith
Etymology
Anglicized version of Irish Órfhlaith (“golden princess”), from ór (“gold”) + flaith (“princess”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 2 of 6 regions, falling in 1.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 107 | 88 | 86 | 78 | 72 | 66 | 63 | 56 | 58 | 64 |
| Scotland | 29 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 21 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 22 |
| Northern Ireland | 151 | 118 | 112 | 98 | 90 | 181 | 127 | 91 | 144 | 121 |
| Ireland | 95 | 152 | 169 | 201 | 160 | 242 | 284 | 179 | 223 | 189 |
| Ontario | 1330 | 1584 | ||||||||
| South Australia | 273 | 868 | ||||||||
| France | 3683 | 3591 | 3521 | 3443 | 3366 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64 | 721 | 284.7 |
| 2024 | 58 | 746 | 289.2 |
| 2023 | 56 | 780 | 304.0 |
| 2022 | 63 | 776 | 294.5 |
| 2021 | 66 | 794 | 289.7 |
| 2020 | 72 | 733 | 273.1 |
| 2019 | 78 | 687 | 245.3 |
| 2018 | 86 | 621 | 215.4 |
| 2017 | 88 | 610 | 204.0 |
| 2016 | 107 | 537 | 174.8 |
| 2015 | 106 | 539 | 175.0 |
| 2014 | 122 | 456 | 148.7 |
| 2013 | 132 | 405 | 131.3 |
| 2012 | 155 | 344 | 106.8 |
| 2011 | 155 | 340 | 105.8 |
| 2010 | 175 | 301 | 93.8 |
| 2009 | 164 | 321 | 102.4 |
| 2008 | 211 | 245 | 77.6 |
| 2007 | 251 | 198 | 64.7 |
| 2006 | 287 | 161 | 53.8 |
| 2005 | 319 | 127 | 44.1 |
| 2004 | 276 | 150 | 52.5 |
| 2003 | 269 | 155 | 55.6 |
| 2002 | 280 | 139 | 52.0 |
| 2001 | 282 | 135 | 50.4 |
| 2000 | 254 | 156 | 57.1 |
| 1999 | 267 | 144 | 51.1 |
| 1998 | 414 | 74 | 25.6 |
| 1997 | 396 | 80 | 27.3 |
| 1996 | 549 | 45 | 15.2 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Orla in France since 1925 were born in or after 2009. First recorded in 1999. Her peak year there: 2005, at 2.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Orla per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2005 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Orla
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 86 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 114 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 160 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 639 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 183 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 429 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 324 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Orla. Same first letter as Orla.
1 in 131 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Orla.
1 in 528 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Orla.
Middle names for Orla
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Orla Grace
2-1 beats · initials OG
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Orla Sophia
2-3 beats · initials OS
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Orla Maria
2-3 beats · initials OM
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Orla Olivia
2-4 beats · initials OO · Orla slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Orla slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Orla Rose
2-1 beats · initials OR
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Orla Emily
2-3 beats · initials OE · Orla slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Orla slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Orla Julia
2-3 beats · initials OJ
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Orla Miriam
2-3 beats · initials OM
Changes the beat after Orla: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Orla
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,933 in England and Wales
98% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 577 in Scotland
97% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 486 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
96% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 143 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
1 in 162 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Orla across countries and decades.
Famous people named Orla
Orla Brady.
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-
Irish actress born 1961
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Orla
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Orla?
Her best rank is No. 22 in Scotland in 2025, about 1 in 134 girls. She is in the published lists of 9 of our 40 regions.
What does Orla mean?
Wiktionary glosses Orla as "golden princess".
How do you pronounce Orla?
OR-luh, with 2 syllables.
Is Orla getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 2 of 6 regions, falling in 1.
Which sister names go with Orla?
The deck's top five sisters for Orla: Niamh, Aoife, Saoirse, Gracie and Lillie. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.