Worried that Isla is the next big thing? Looking for something quirkier than Anya without going as extreme as Bertha?
Here’s an intriguing Gaelic option. Thanks to Christina for suggesting Orla as Name of the Day.
Orla’s roots are Gaelic, so you know there’s a doozy of an authentic spelling out there. Many Americans can manage Sinead and Siobhan, but somehow I think Órfhlaith would leave most of us speechless. The streamlined Orlaith is slightly better and Orlagh is sometimes seen, too, but inevitably your daughter would spend lots of time explaining that the ith or gh is silent.
Happily, Orla is a perfectly acceptable spelling in Ireland today, where’s she a Top 100 pick. Celtic Woman alum Orla Fallon comes to mind, as does Irish-born, London-based designer Orla Kiely.
Kiely is especially visible at the moment. She had a special collection in Target last year, and can be found in plenty of upscale shops, too. A New York Times profile mentioned that a New York flagship store is in the works. And if you can’t wait, there’s her website.
Search deep enough, and you’ll even find a witch called Orla Quirke in the Harry Potter series. (She’s sorted into Ravenclaw during book five, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.)
All of this lends Orla a certain offbeat, modern vibe, as if Orla were a nouveau coinage.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Orla first appears in Irish lore, worn by female relatives of legendary High King Brian Boru. The first element means gold and the second – flaith – means prince, so you’ll usually find her meaning given as “golden princess.” The golden princesses of ancient Ireland include at least three:
- Sister to Brian Boru
- Niece to Brian Boru
- And a great-niece, too – apparently one who was murdered in the eleventh century, but later had an Irish Naval vessel named in her honor
Other than the tantalizing fact that the last of the trio met a terrible end, I’m at a loss to tell you anything more about them. It’s incredibly unsatisfying, too. I’ve found a few other references to Orlas on the Boru family tree, including this one, but they may or may not be the same women.
Orla also appeared in the US Top 1000 a handful of times in the late nineteenth century. Either she was in use by Irish immigrants, or possibly she just fit the style of names in vogue at the time, like Clara.
Rumors have bounced around that Leonardo DiCaprio is attached to a historical biopic of sorts about Boru. Apparently the screenplay has won awards, but it has yet to develop into the actual kind of movie you can go see in a theater. Should the big screen version come to pass – and one or more of the Orlas feature in the plotline – it could give the name a boost.
Other than that, Orla is likely to remain an under-used import in the US, one that would wear well on a daughter surrounded by girls called Emma and Ella and Leah. If you’re looking for an authentically Irish choice that won’t be shared, Orla is one to consider.
I LOVE/ADORE Irish names. I still hope that somewhere in my bloodline that there is Irish blood, cause of I’ve got the rest of the UK & Ireland is just the ultimate in cool.There are LOADS of Irish names on my male & female lists.I also really like Sinead & have for years.But, Orla just doesn’t do it for me. It’s similar to names like Hilga/Helda/Bertha/Zelda which I would never use. It’s so opposite from my taste.
Orla also has a Swedish vibe to me.Overall, nothing wrong with it, but the sound isn’t appealing.It’s not one like Bertha which is just really harsh & I don’t like, it’s more that I just don’t care about it either way – it doesn’t arouse any strong emotions. I’m fine if other parent’s use it, though. I hope this isn’t harsh
Orla is just OK for me. I’m only eh about the names like Isla, Emma, and Leah that you mention in its company as well, so maybe it’s not my style. Add to that the fact that my mind twists the name into Oral every time I glance at it – it doesn’t help matters. The name is fine enough, but it’s not for me… that leaves more for some one else, I guess!
UrbanAngel, I think there is a Danish name Orla – but it’s masculine!
I fear Orla’s similarity to Orca. And I hadn’t THOUGHT of Oral. Too bad, ’cause it is a cool sound.
Orla is just okay for me too. It’s pretty common in Ireland so I’d definitely pick something a little more underused. Plus, one of the crazy kids in my school was an Orla so that does little to boost the name for me
If I was thinking along that line I’d probably choose Orna instead.
This is another sci-fi name for me. I can’t get excited about Isla or Orna either. And it’s only in the past year that I’ve figured out how to pronounce Siobhan, so I have serious reservations about it too. Helga, Bertha, Hilda and Zelda all sound like stout grandmothers to me.
Plus, I hate the name Leah due to its biblical context–Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, and worked and waited 7 years to do so, but he was tricked into marrying her “weak-eyed” older sister Leah. He had to wait another 7 years to marry Rachel. Leah had more sons, but it was Rachel’s sons Joseph and Benjamin that Jacob favored.
Oooh … I love Zelda! Helga, maybe not so much.
I like Orla.
I like the letter O and I like girl names ending in the short ‘a’ sound.
I had Isla on my girl names list, but hubby didn’t like it and it was an issue for me that people would say Is-la instead of eye-la.
A while back I spotted Orlo in the local obituaries, as I was browsing for ‘cool old people names’. I thought that was a nice unusual name, more out there than Oscar (name we picked if DD had been a boy) and Oliver (the name the DS almost got, but didn’t.) So I looked up Orlo online and didn’t find out much about it, but I did find out much more about Orla. So that kind of disappointed me, as a male Orlo might get mistaken for a female Orla.
Usually associations like Orca and Oral would bother me, but not so much here. Though I doubt DH would go for Orla or Orlo, so it doesn’t really matter.
I’ve never seen Orlo. Neat name!
What about Arlo for a boy? I know one who’s about 10 – people seem to really like his name, and it’s very uncommon, yet no one has mispronunciation issues.
Abby, what are you doing, sending us to a website with fabulous clothes…starting at $500? Not fair!
Orla is okay, but it’s not a name that would appear on my list. I don’t hate it, wouldn’t mock it, but don’t need it on one of my kids.
I know! I think I can afford a notebook.
The Target line was cool, but it didn’t last long. Too bad … I guess I’d better snap up some Liberty of London stuff now. Except that I won’t. But I’ve already written a post about Liberty, so I won’t have to mention that regret.
Thanks for covering Orla!
I first saw this name on name boards and there was a woman that posted using the name “Orlaith”. That piqued my curiosity; when I saw the Target collection I started feeling that Orla was surrounding me.
I suspect parents that like Nola or Vera could go for Orla as well.
I can totally see the appeal of Orla. I wouldn’t go for it myself, but if I met a little Orla, I’d be pleasantly surprised.
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