The name Orla is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "golden princess".

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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.

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Orla

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The name Orla is a boy's name of Danish origin.

While English speakers may will recognize Orla as an Irish girl name with a golden meaning, it is also used as Danish masculine name, and as a unisex choice in Norway, Finland and Germany. The exact etymology in this case is unknown, but one theory is that is comes from Orsolo, Urs, or Ors, all stemming from the Latin ursus meaning "bear".
 
Alternatively, it may have emerged from Orlando, an Italian variant of Roland, meaning "famous land"; from the Latin ōra meaning "border, margin" or to add a trim to something; or from a Slavic element, relating to eagles. There's also the chance that it emerged from Ole (or Olaf), Ulrik (or Olrik), or another name with similar sounds. This however is all speculation and cannot be confirmed.
 
Charting for boys in the US way back in the late 1800s, Orla has been notably borne by 20th century Olympic cyclist Orla Jørgensen, 19th century Danish statesman Orla Lehmann, and by the protagonist of a play by Albert Dulk. More recently, influencer Pernille Rosenkilde chose the name Orla Klint August for her son, born in 2025.

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