Donna vs Orlagh
Donna and Orlaghcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2004, Donna was ranked #372 and Orlagh #183 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Donna was ranked #736 and Orlagh #898 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Donna was ranked #5891 and Orlagh #1160 among girls in England and Wales.
Donna and Orlagh over time
Donna and Orlagh appear together in 2 published lists, across 77 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Donna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Orlagh in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Donna and Orlagh changed places 6 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2024, ending at #736 and #898.
- Longest-running competitions
Donna and Orlagh were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 48 years, from 1964 to 2024, ending at #736 and #898.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls48 shared years, 1964–2024
Donna held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Orlagh in 8.
Highest recorded here: Donna #33 in 1982, Orlagh #178 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Donna #736, Orlagh #898.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Donna held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Orlagh in 16.
Highest recorded here: Donna #441 in 1996, Orlagh #683 in 2022.
The order changed in 2012: Orlagh moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #2432 and #2636; by 2012 that had become #4171 and #1342.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Donna #5891, Orlagh #1160.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Donna | Orlagh |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024) | Scotland · Girls #176 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 80/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Donna and Orlagh both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Donna
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #91 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1953–1982
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1964 (recorded 1953–1982).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #5891 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls
Orlagh
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #274 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #89 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2000 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1160 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls