| Morrigan | Orla | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Great queen | golden princess |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | MOR-ih-gan | OR-lah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1995 | 1892 |
| Peak year | 2023 (69) | 2024 (71) |
| In 2025 | 63 | 70 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Morrigan | Orla |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 309 | 357 |
| 2010s | 423 | 273 |
| 2000s | 322 | 179 |
| 1990s | 85 | 56 |
| 1960s | 0 | 16 |
| 1950s | 0 | 20 |
| 1940s | 0 | 26 |
| 1930s | 0 | 59 |
| 1920s | 0 | 120 |
| 1910s | 0 | 71 |
| 1900s | 0 | 5 |
| 1890s | 0 | 17 |
The Morrigan is an Irish goddess of war and fate; her name is usually read “great queen.”
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 Morrigan today: about 70 US babies were given the name Orla in 2025, compared with 63 named Morrigan.
Morrigan means Great queen (Irish origin), while Orla means golden princess (irish origin).
In US records, Morrigan first appears in 1995 and Orla in 1892, so Orla has the longer recorded history.