Orla
About Orla
Orla is an Irish name closely associated with the high king Brian Boru, as it was the name of his sister, daughter and niece. It was very popular in the Middle Ages – the fourth most popular name in twelfth century Ireland – and has become popular again in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales today. In Irish, the name is commonly spelled Orlaith or Orlagh.
There is a student at Hogwarts School named Orla Quirke in the Harry Potterbooks.
Pronounced OR-luh.
As of October 2026, Orla ranked #2532 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1410 in 1892, Nameberry popularity #312.
Editor's take: The name Orla is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "golden princess".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #4,865 | 29 | 16.2 |
| 2015 | #4,687 | 30 | 16.8 |
| 2016 | #4,603 | 31 | 17.5 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | #4,747 | 29 | 17 |
| 2019 | #3,984 | 37 | 22 |
| 2020 | #4,338 | 32 | 19.8 |
| 2021 | #2,986 | 56 | 34.1 |
| 2022 | #2,848 | 60 | 36.6 |
| 2023 | #2,607 | 68 | 42.4 |
| 2024 | #2,517 | 71 | 43.8 |
| 2025 | #2,532 | 70 | 43.6 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Orla.
- Blythe
- Ottilie
- Ines
- Leonie
- Romilly
- Linnea
- Aoife
- Saoirse
- Cosette
- Paloma
- Enid
- Guilette
- Oona
- Margaux
- Odette
- Ida
- Bronwen
- Mavis
- Bryony
- Verity
Orla on lists
Famous Orlas
- Orla Brady
Irish actress
- Órlagh "Orla" Fallon
Irish singer of group Celtic Woman
- Orla Guerin
Irish journalist
- Orla Fitzgerald
Irish actress
- Orla Tobin
Irish folk singer
- Orla Kiely
Irish fashion designer
- Orla Gartland
Irish singer/songwriter
- Orla Clark
daughter of Katherine Kelly & Ryan Clark
Orla in pop culture
- Orla Quirke
a character in the Harry Potter series
- Orla Sargent
a character in 'The Raven Cycle' by Maggie Stiefvater
- Orla Shipley
killer whale and defendant in "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney , Dual Destinies"
- Orla McCool
a character in the British sitcom "Derry Girls”
- Orla
a character in Holly Black’s “The Cruel Prince"