Orla ( ) is an

anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

of Órfhlaith, a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

of Irish origin. The name is often interpreted as meaning "golden princess", as it is derived from the Irish words ("gold") and (literally "prince"; its full feminine form being ). Well known via association with

Brian Boru Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Vikings, Viking invasio ...

, whose sister Órlaith íngen Cennétig (d. 941) was queen consort to the Irish High King

Donnchad Donn Donnchad Donn mac Flainn (''Duncan of the Brown Hair, son of Flann'') (died 944) was High King of Ireland and King of Mide. He belonged to Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the southern Uí Néill. Origins Donnchad was the son of High King Flann ...

, Órflaith (however spelled) was the fourth-most frequently recorded female name in the annals of 12th century Ireland; after a long period of obscurity, the name—in both the Órlaith and Órla forms—became popular in the late 20th century, not only in Ireland but also in Scotland, despite the name not having historical use in the region. Orla is also a male given name in Danish and has been used as a unisex name in Norwegian, Finnish and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. Orla is also a short form of the name Orsola, which is a variant of Ursula.

Significance of the Fada in "Órla"

In the Irish language, the presence of a fada (diacritic) is crucial, as it changes the pronunciation and meaning of a name. Órla, with a fada, is pronounced /ˈɔːrlə/ ("OR-lə") and retains its traditional and culturally significant meaning, while Orla, without a fada, is pronounced /ˈʌɹlə/ ("urlah") and can lead to misinterpretations and unintended meanings. The omission of fadas in names, especially in official records, has sparked discussions about linguistic accuracy and cultural representation.

Historical figures

* Órlaith íngen Cennétig,

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, died 941 * Órlaith Ní Maoil Seachnaill,

of Mide, died 1066 * Órlaith Nic Cennétich, died 1104. The ship LÉ ''Orla'' is named after her.IDF LÉ ''Orla'' webpage
* Órlaith Ní Mael Sechlainn,

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

, died 1115 * Órlaith Ní Diarmata,

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

Moylurg {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Magh Luirg or Magh Luirg an Dagda, anglicised as Moylurg, was the name of a medieval Irish kingdom located in modern-day County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was a sub-kingdom of the kingdom of Connach ...

, died 1252 * Órlaith Ní Conchobair,

and

Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

, died 1283

Arts and media

* Orla Brady, Irish actress; her most notable and critically acclaimed work was the 1999 film ''A Love Divided'' * Orlagh Cassidy, American actress * Órla Fallon, Irish singer, songwriter, and harpist. She was a member of Celtic Woman from 2005 to 2009. * Orla Fitzgerald, Irish actress * Órfhlaith Flynn, former member of Anúna * Orla Gartland, Irish singer *

Orla Guerin Orla Guerin Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE ( ; born 15 May 1966) is an Irish people, Irish journalist. She is a Senior International correspondent working for BBC News broadcasting around the world and across the U ...

, Irish correspondent for BBC Africa * Orla Hill, English actress * Orla Kiely graduated from The National College of Art and Design in Dublin, and continued her education with a master's degree at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

in London. Her trademark leaf pattern used in her handbag design has become a highly recognisable international brand. Her collection now spans womenswear, accessories, wallpaper, homewares and stationery, plus a collection of notepaper for Tate Modern. * Orlaith McAllister, Northern Irish glamour model and former '' Big Brother'' contestant * Orla Ní Fhinneadha, Irish television presenter on TG4 * Orla O'Rourke, Irish actress * Orla O'Shea, Irish singer * Orlaith Rafter, Irish actor and writer * Orla Tobin (Rose of Tralee), singer, winner of the 2003 Rose of Tralee contest * Orla Wolf, German writer, artist and filmmaker

Sports

* Orla Barry, Irish discus thrower * Orla Jørgensen, Danish male Olympic gold medalist in 1928 * Orla Noom, professional squash player from the Netherlands * Orla O'Doherty, professional squash player from Ireland * Orla Walsh, Irish track cyclist

Other

* Orla Hyllested, Danish union representative and politician * Orla Lehmann, Danish statesman * Orla Møller (1916–1979), Danish priest and politician * Órlaithí Flynn, member of the

Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly (; ), often referred to by the metonym ''Stormont'', is the devolved unicameral legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliam ...

* Orla, Italian organ maker * Órfhlaith Begley, MP in the UK Parliament for West Tyrone

Fictional characters

* Orla McCool, from the sitcom '' Derry Girls'' * Orla Healy, from the television drama '' Three Families'' * Orla Sargent, from the young adult books '' The Raven Cycle'' * Agent Orla, from the educational television series '' Odd Squad'' * Orla, from the novel ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' and its film adaptation '' Our Ladies'' * Orla, male protagonist of the 19th century German emancipation drama '' Orla'' by Albert Dulk * Orla, female supporting character from '' Pokémon Horizons: The Series''

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Orla (Name) Celtic given names Danish masculine given names Masculine given names Irish feminine given names Feminine given names