Fun Facts About the Name Orla
- More than 1 thousand babies named Orla: U.S. records list 1,485 babies given the name Orla from 1880 through 2025. Even 286 boys received the name Orla - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Orla Mean?
Orla is an anglicized form of the Irish name Órlaith, also written Órfhlaith. It is usually explained as "golden princess" or "golden sovereign," from two Irish elements: ór, "gold," and flaith, "princess, ruler, sovereignty." Taken literally, the compound is closer to "gold sovereignty"; "golden princess" is the customary English rendering rather than a word-for-word translation. The Irish spelling Órla is also used, and Orlagh is another anglicized form.
Separately, Orla is a masculine given name used in Denmark, borne by the nineteenth-century Danish politician Orla Lehmann. It is not related to the Irish name, and its Norse derivation is not securely established, so the two traditions should be kept apart.
Orla Name History & Origins
The Irish name behind Orla is old. Its earlier form, Órflaith, and the later Órlaith, belong to a group of medieval Irish women's names built on the element flaith, "sovereignty" - among them Gormlaith and Derbflaith. Names of this type appear in the genealogies and records of Irish ruling families, which gives them a royal association that the plain word "princess" does not fully capture.
The anglicized spelling Orla drops the final -ith and the silent fh of the Irish form. It is the spelling most often used today in English-speaking countries, while Orlaith and Órfhlaith are kept in Irish. The form Orlagh is a later anglicization shaped by Irish spelling habits. Through Irish emigration the name also came into use in Britain and in Irish communities abroad.
How Popular is the Name Orla?
Orla recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #657 in 1890.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,532 | 70 | 0.0044% |
| 2024 | #2,517 | 71 | 0.0044% |
| 2023 | #2,607 | 68 | 0.0042% |
| 2022 | #2,848 | 60 | 0.0037% |
| 2021 | #2,986 | 56 | 0.0034% |
| 2020 | #4,338 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2019 | #3,984 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 2018 | #4,747 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2017 | #6,469 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #4,603 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2015 | #4,687 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2014 | #4,865 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2013 | #4,855 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2012 | #6,807 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,024 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2010 | #6,129 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2009 | #4,778 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2008 | #7,660 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #6,497 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #8,601 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #7,811 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #8,126 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #7,890 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #6,619 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #6,547 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #5,883 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1999 | #8,647 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #12,053 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #9,609 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #11,462 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #12,961 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #12,899 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #8,418 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #7,540 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #6,355 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #7,497 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #6,953 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1957 | #6,781 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #6,643 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1951 | #6,007 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #5,832 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #4,247 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #4,428 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #3,761 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1938 | #4,221 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #2,693 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1936 | #4,045 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #2,890 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1933 | #2,827 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1932 | #3,501 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #3,585 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #3,330 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1928 | #2,912 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1927 | #2,319 | 16 | 0.0013% |
| 1926 | #2,548 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1925 | #3,946 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1924 | #3,603 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1923 | #3,305 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1922 | #2,457 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1921 | #3,109 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1920 | #2,241 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1919 | #2,612 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1918 | #3,451 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1917 | #2,830 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1916 | #2,006 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1915 | #4,141 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1914 | #2,394 | 10 | 0.0013% |
| 1910 | #2,693 | 5 | 0.0013% |
| 1904 | #2,101 | 5 | 0.0018% |
| 1899 | #1,544 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1898 | #1,897 | 5 | 0.0019% |
| 1892 | #1,410 | 6 | 0.0028% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | #3,816 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #4,125 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1945 | #3,226 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #3,785 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,406 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1934 | #3,204 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #3,661 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1930 | #2,738 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #3,174 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,010 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1927 | #2,855 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1926 | #4,064 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #4,077 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #2,965 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1923 | #2,730 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1922 | #2,599 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1921 | #2,473 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1920 | #2,910 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1919 | #3,058 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #3,615 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #2,526 | 11 | 0.0012% |
| 1916 | #2,874 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1915 | #3,306 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1914 | #3,167 | 6 | 0.0009% |
| 1913 | #2,716 | 6 | 0.0012% |
| 1912 | #2,207 | 7 | 0.0016% |
| 1900 | #1,275 | 6 | 0.0040% |
| 1899 | #1,020 | 6 | 0.0056% |
| 1898 | #1,256 | 5 | 0.0041% |
| 1894 | #840 | 8 | 0.0069% |
| 1891 | #1,086 | 5 | 0.0049% |
| 1890 | #657 | 10 | 0.0090% |
| 1887 | #728 | 8 | 0.0079% |
| 1885 | #907 | 6 | 0.0056% |
| 1884 | #827 | 7 | 0.0061% |
| 1882 | #917 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1881 | #843 | 6 | 0.0060% |
| 1880 | #1,026 | 5 | 0.0045% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Orla Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are patient, persevering and strong willed. You are a good student, absorbing knowledge easily and retaining it well. You are either a saint or a sinner. You tend to hold things inside and suffer in silence. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Orla's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Orla's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.