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