| Aisling | Orla | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Dream, vision | golden princess |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ASH-ling | OR-lah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1972 | 1892 |
| Peak year | 2002 (61) | 2024 (71) |
| In 2025 | 39 | 70 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Aisling | Orla |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 227 | 357 |
| 2010s | 422 | 273 |
| 2000s | 407 | 179 |
| 1990s | 296 | 56 |
| 1980s | 166 | 0 |
| 1970s | 15 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 16 |
| 1950s | 0 | 20 |
| 1940s | 0 | 26 |
| 1930s | 0 | 59 |
| 1920s | 0 | 120 |
| 1910s | 0 | 71 |
| 1900s | 0 | 5 |
| 1890s | 0 | 17 |
Aisling is the Irish word for “dream” or “vision,” and a genre of visionary poetry.
Anglicised from Irish Orlaith/Órlaith, combining 'ór' (gold) with 'flaith' (princess, sovereign) — literally 'golden princess'. The 'ór' element is a genuine word for gold.
Orla is more popular than Aisling today: about 70 US babies were given the name Orla in 2025, compared with 39 named Aisling.
Aisling means Dream, vision (Irish origin), while Orla means golden princess (irish origin).
In US records, Aisling first appears in 1972 and Orla in 1892, so Orla has the longer recorded history.