What do you think of orla?

[shakemyhead]

Well just that really. Baby girl will be 1/8 Irish. Just like the name really.

I have an Orla! It's perfect, gets loads of lovely comments, is really easy for her to say and will be really easy for her to spell when she's a bit older (and you can't buy any of that personalised shit from gift shops!) the only thing is that autocorrect changes it to oral the first few times ooo and also i think it'll be like ruby and Evie in a few years but we got there first so it's ok
Go for it, I still love it as much today as I did when I picked it!

Stowsettler, that's how i felt too. I would have felt I could use a Scottish name or a Welsh name. The British Isles. It's hardly like choosing a Romanian name or a Polish name. Well, that's just my take on it.

I went to school with an Orflaith. Everyone called her Orflat (not to her face). Don't do that to your child.

Orla Guerin - the bringer of bad news.

Orla Guerin is a friend of a friend of mine and is absolutely lovely.

I'd think more 'Orla Guerin - strong and successful woman', or 'Orla Kiely - creative and passionate designer and entrepreneur'!

I was just thinking, don't most English accents leave the Rs out of words a lot? I used to know an Orla and I remember this English girl (we're Irish) calling her "aw-la" and Orla kept saying "No, it's Or-la, just like it's spelt" and the girl would just say "Yeah that's what I'm saying, Aw-la!" I think it sounds absolutely horrible said that way, but if you're going to pronounce it with the R then definitely go for it :D Don't go for the Orlaith/Orfhlaith spellings though, they're back in fashion now but will probably be out again in a couple years!

Was Orlagh ever very popular? I've seen it before but never thought to ask anyone about its origins

Such a lovely name!

Know what you mean sorcha, I've got a fairly common name within R in it (think Claire, Sarah, Kirsten, Laura etc) and I'm Scottish - my pronunciation of my name sounds nothing at all like a southern English pronunciation because of the R! To the extent where, when I've said my name in my most dulcet Scottish accent, the responses has sometimes been for example 'is that the same as [my name pronounced in a London accent]?' Annoying, but could happen with any name at all!

Its ok. I know a couple under 10.

Have one myself, love it obviously. We're Irish in ireland and spell it Orla which is totally acceptable. Has been in use throughout my school life and continues to be popular (about 6 in dd's school) so don't see it as a passing trend.

Love it. It is DD1's name. When people used to nosy at her as a newborn they sometimes misheard it as Paula or Ola but two years on no mis-spellings or mis-pronunciation. DD1 loves it too - she suggested it as a name for DD2!

I think it's a lovely name.

I really like it. It was on my short list but bil has had a dd called Isla. Probably too similar in one family!

Aww Dillydolly!

I think Orla and Isla is fine for cousins! Might be a bit much for sisters but not cousins!

My DD is Orla, I love it. Glad to see it getting a positive response on here

My dd is Orla too! My DH and his family are Irish, so we were keen on having an Irish name, only to have his mum say she'd never heard it before!