Orla

femaleIrish

The Anglicized form of Órlaith, combining Irish 'ór' (gold) with 'flaith' (sovereignty, royalty) — traditionally read as 'golden princess' or 'golden sovereignty'.

Origin: Irish

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1964 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #19 in Scotland in 2024. See regions.

Orla: Recorded every year since 1964, its highest recorded position is #19, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

4registrars recorded it
121times a registrar ranked it
62years from first to last
#19highest recorded position
32groupings it qualifies for
9names it appears alongside

What stands out in Orla's record

Ranked every year since 1964, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 49 years running. Names by top-100 run
Shares a published list with another name across 59 years. Longest shared records

OR-luh/ˈɔɹ.lə/

Compare Orla Run Name Checker on Orla

Data Confidence

Evidence: HighCompleteness: CompleteEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (4) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Irish
Meaning: The Anglicized form of Órlaith, combining Irish 'ór' (gold) with 'flaith' (sovereignty, royalty) — traditionally read as 'golden princess' or 'golden sovereignty'.
Pronunciation: OR-luh
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: female
Language family: Irish

Popularity

Region

Rising

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#549
1997	#396
1998	#414
1999	#267
2000	#254
2001	#282
2002	#280
2003	#269
2004	#276
2005	#319
2006	#287
2007	#251
2008	#211
2009	#164
2010	#175
2011	#155
2012	#155
2013	#132
2014	#122
2015	#106
2016	#107
2017	#88
2018	#86
2019	#78
2020	#72
2021	#66
2022	#63
2023	#56
2024	#58
2025	#64

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in every year from 1964 to 2025.

In 2025: #64 among girls in England and Wales, #189 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 4 national registrars across 4 regions, 1964–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1964
First recorded at #52 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
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #64 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Orla appears in 3 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, which has ranked it in 62 years beginning in 1964, and has registered 9,869 births with the name.

Orla across 3 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Orla's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#52 (1964)	#22 (1980)	#189 (2025)	62 of 62	9,869 (1964–2025)	361 (1980)
England and Wales · Girls	#549 (1996)	#56 (2023)	#64 (2025)	30 of 30	11,520 (1996–2025)	794 (2021)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#63 (1997)	#33 (2000)	#144 (2024)	28 of 28	920 (1997–2024)	64 (2000)

Orla by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Orla in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	1,051	6 of 10	175
1970sbusiest	2,509	10 of 10	251
1980s	2,514	10 of 10	251
1990s	1,845	10 of 10	185
2000s	1,253	10 of 10	125
2010s	565	10 of 10	57
2020s	132	6 of 10	22

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 251 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1980 and 1981, when recorded births fell by 100, from 361 to 261.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Orla appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 4 registrars between 1964 and 2025, ranked in 62 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #19, first reached in 2024.

It held a top-100 place in 61 years, 49 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 794 births, registered in England and Wales in 2021.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 60 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Orla was ranked #19 in Scotland · Girls in 2024. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Rosie#16
Sophie#17
Maisie#18
Maya#19
Harper#21
Sofia#22
Aria#23
Poppy#24

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Orion · #370, 29y
Ørjan · #50, 69y
Orla-Rose · #1692, 14y
Orlagh · #89, 58y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 4 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Cara · #19, 60y
Clodagh · #20, 62y
Ronan · #20, 62y
Rodney · #17, 62y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Abigail · #19, 54y
Audrey · #19, 62y
Cara · #19, 60y
Clodagh · #20, 62y

Comparisons involving Orla

Existing comparison pages where Orla and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Orla in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Lorraine vs Orla
In 1964 they stood at #47 and #52 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 5 places apart; by 2018 they were #896 and #169.
Lorraine · Orla · 50 shared years, 1964–2018 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2018 Republic of Ireland ranking
Barbara vs Orla
In 1964 they stood at #43 and #52 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 9 places apart; by 2023 they were #856 and #179.
Barbara · Orla · 56 shared years, 1964–2023 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2023 Republic of Ireland ranking
Orla vs Denise
In 1964 they stood at #52 and #56 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, 4 places apart; by 2020 they were #160 and #834.
Orla · Denise · 54 shared years, 1964–2020 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2020 Republic of Ireland ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Orla and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Ella vs Orla
In Northern Ireland · Girls, Ella moved into the top 50 at #28 in 2003 as Orla fell out of it to #54, having been #41 the year before.
Ella · Orla · 28 shared years, 1997–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2003 Northern Ireland ranking

Orla and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Orla without appearing here.

Orla moved ahead of

Ann
In 1996 they stood at #549 and #539 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1997 that had become #396 and #672.
Paula
In 1996 they stood at #549 and #549 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1997 that had become #396 and #658.
Teresa
In 1996 they stood at #549 and #526 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1997 that had become #396 and #658.
Kylie
In 1998 they stood at #414 and #349 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1999 that had become #267 and #521.

Moved ahead of Orla

Sienna
In 2003 they stood at #269 and #427 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2004 that had become #276 and #155.
Nora
In 2020 they stood at #90 and #129 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2021 that had become #181 and #64.
Thea
In 2015 they stood at #92 and #123 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2016 that had become #151 and #42.
Summer
In 2020 they stood at #160 and #229 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2021 that had become #242 and #136.

Moved the opposite way to Orla

Ada
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #52 to #189 while Ada went from #372 to #45.
Hazel
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #52 to #189 while Hazel went from #154 to #55.
Mabel
Between 1965 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #39 to #189 while Mabel went from #385 to #94.
Caoimhe
Between 1966 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #39 to #189 while Caoimhe went from #380 to #31.

Moved the same way as Orla

Angela
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #52 to #189 and Angela from #24 to #608.
Ann
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #52 to #189 and Ann from #4 to #443.
Bernadette
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #52 to #189 and Bernadette from #15 to #718.
Bridget
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Orla went from #52 to #189 and Bridget from #8 to #213.

Meaning & Origin

The Anglicized form of Órlaith, combining Irish 'ór' (gold) with 'flaith' (sovereignty, royalty) — traditionally read as 'golden princess' or 'golden sovereignty'.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Irish

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Orla is officially recorded

4 official registrars have recorded Orla, between 1964 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Republic of Ireland	1964–2025	62	#22 in 1980
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#56 in 2023
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	28	#33 in 2000
Scotland	2024	1	#19 in 2024

Its high point came 44 years earlier in Republic of Ireland (1980) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

Órlaith · spelling
Orlagh · spelling
Órfhlaith · spelling

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

Common alternate spellings: Órlaith, Orlagh, Órfhlaith.

Pronunciation

OR-luh/ˈɔɹ.lə/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Orla Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Orla in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

England and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of Ireland

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Orla

Orla at a glance

What stands out in Orla's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Orla across 3 official records

Orla by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Orla appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Orla

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Comparisons involving Orla

Longest shared records

Order changes

Orla and the names beside it

Orla moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Orla

Moved the opposite way to Orla

Moved the same way as Orla

Meaning & Origin

Where Orla is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Orla Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Orla at a glance

What stands out in Orla's record

Orla across 3 official records

Orla by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Orla appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Orla

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Comparisons involving Orla

Longest shared records

Order changes

Orla and the names beside it

Orla moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Orla

Moved the opposite way to Orla

Moved the same way as Orla