| Orla | Sinead | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | golden princess | God is gracious |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | OR-lah | shin-AYD |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1892 | 1975 |
| Peak year | 2024 (71) | 1990 (160) |
| In 2025 | 70 | 11 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Orla | Sinead |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 357 | 60 |
| 2010s | 273 | 118 |
| 2000s | 179 | 295 |
| 1990s | 56 | 627 |
| 1980s | 0 | 182 |
| 1970s | 0 | 58 |
| 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.
Sinéad is an Irish form of Jane/Jeanette, ultimately “God is gracious.”
Orla is more popular than Sinead today: about 70 US babies were given the name Orla in 2025, compared with 11 named Sinead.
Orla means golden princess (irish origin), while Sinead means God is gracious (Irish origin).
In US records, Orla first appears in 1892 and Sinead in 1975, so Orla has the longer recorded history.