Isla Name Meaning

A stunning Scottish variant of Islay with a gentle sound, Isla is rising fast. Meaning “island,” she’s the perfect pick for relaxing vibes and is on-trend with the rise of the -la suffix style, seen in Isabella, Lila, and Camila.

Isla has been popular across the pond for several years, but she’s a recent apple of American parents’ eyes. There is a peacefulness to the name that is simply divine, and as her popularity increases, we aren’t surprised. This two-syllable sweetheart is precious.

Isla’s recent surge in popularity can be attributed to everything from the Royal Family to Hollywood, with Isla Phillips a great-granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and actress Isla Fisher winning over audiences in silver screen hits Now You See Me and The Great Gatsby.

While many girl names fall into cutesy territory, Isla isn’t one of them. She’s cute, but ages well, maturing beautifully into adulthood. She’s a subtle nature name that isn’t as obvious as Ivy or Violet, but we still find her just as in-tune with Mother Nature. As Scottish monikers continue to creep up the charts, Isla is in great company with names like Paisley, Finley, and Ainsley.

Names similar to Isla include Lilah, Keyla, and Ayla.

Infographic of Isla name meaning, which is Derived from the name Islay, Isla means island.
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Isla Name Popularity

How popular is the name Isla? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 — 0 0%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 — 0 0%
1913 1,114 5 0.0009%
1914 1,006 11 0.0016%
1915 — 0 0%
1916 — 0 0%
1917 — 0 0%
1918 1,285 10 0.0009%
1919 — 0 0%
1920 1,407 7 0.0006%
1921 — 0 0%
1922 1,362 10 0.0009%
1923 1,595 5 0.0004%
1924 — 0 0%
1925 1,655 5 0.0004%
1926 — 0 0%
1927 — 0 0%
1928 1,398 7 0.0007%
1929 1,508 5 0.0005%
1930 1,535 5 0.0005%
1931 — 0 0%
1932 — 0 0%
1933 — 0 0%
1934 — 0 0%
1935 — 0 0%
1936 1,584 5 0.0005%
1937 — 0 0%
1938 — 0 0%
1939 — 0 0%
1940 — 0 0%
1941 — 0 0%
1942 — 0 0%
1943 — 0 0%
1944 — 0 0%
1945 — 0 0%
1946 — 0 0%
1947 — 0 0%
1948 — 0 0%
1949 — 0 0%
1950 — 0 0%
1951 — 0 0%
1952 — 0 0%
1953 — 0 0%
1954 — 0 0%
1955 — 0 0%
1956 — 0 0%
1957 — 0 0%
1958 — 0 0%
1959 — 0 0%
1960 — 0 0%
1961 — 0 0%
1962 — 0 0%
1963 — 0 0%
1964 — 0 0%
1965 — 0 0%
1966 — 0 0%
1967 — 0 0%
1968 — 0 0%
1969 — 0 0%
1970 — 0 0%
1971 — 0 0%
1972 — 0 0%
1973 — 0 0%
1974 — 0 0%
1975 — 0 0%
1976 — 0 0%
1977 — 0 0%
1978 — 0 0%
1979 — 0 0%
1980 — 0 0%
1981 — 0 0%
1982 — 0 0%
1983 — 0 0%
1984 — 0 0%
1985 — 0 0%
1986 — 0 0%
1987 — 0 0%
1988 — 0 0%
1989 — 0 0%
1990 — 0 0%
1991 — 0 0%
1992 — 0 0%
1993 — 0 0%
1994 — 0 0%
1995 — 0 0%
1996 3,818 5 0.0003%
1997 3,027 7 0.0005%
1998 2,490 16 0.0011%
1999 — 0 0%
2000 2,878 11 0.0007%
2001 3,912 5 0.0003%
2002 — 0 0%
2003 2,685 16 0.0011%
2004 2,989 11 0.0007%
2005 2,410 23 0.0015%
2006 2,147 34 0.0022%
2007 1,411 102 0.0065%
2008 612 454 0.0294%
2009 343 918 0.0614%
2010 296 1,065 0.0739%
2011 263 1,186 0.0832%
2012 224 1,372 0.0963%
2013 166 1,898 0.1333%
2014 148 2,132 0.1463%
2015 139 2,272 0.1561%
2016 125 2,505 0.1737%
2017 103 2,863 0.2051%
2018 82 3,393 0.247%
2019 56 4,021 0.297%
2020 45 4,399 0.3456%
2021 31 5,185 0.4242%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Isla

If you like Isla, you’ll love these other names like Isla.

What names are variants of Isla?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Isla.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Islay

What names sound like Isla?

If you like how Isla sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Isla.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Illa

Tree

Hebrew

Iola

Violet-colored dawn

Greek

What names are similar to Isla?

Find a name that’s like Isla, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Ila

Island

French

Lists With Isla

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Isla.

Siblings of Isla

Mamas with kids named Isla also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Willow

Willow tree

English

Cash

Case

English

Olive

Olive tree

English

Liam

Helmet of will

Irish

Aislin

25 Comments

  1. my BFF is named isla

    Reply

  2. I love the name Isla because it is unique and reminds me of the beach and the ocean.

    Reply

  3. Isla was a name we both loved. We wanted something with Scottish roots for my dad. I’m a teacher so also wanted a name that I hadn’t taught before.
    Isla- meaning island
    Her second name is Marina, after her great granny, who was so excited to meet her , but sadly passed away a week before she was born.
    Marina- meaning from the sea.

    These paired together felt fitting and are very special to us both.

    Reply

  4. We chose Isla because both her dad and I love the beach/tropical islands and actually went scuba diving with her in the womb before realizing she was with us! She’s happy and healthy and ready for island life with us 🙂

    Reply

  5. I heard the name Isla about 10 years before I became pregnant and I knew I loved it then because it was unusual and pretty. When it came time to name our baby, I came back to it and after some research found that it means “God is my light”. As someone who wants names to have a deeper meaning, I loved it even more. The only thing I could do without is that a lot of people pronounce it “iz-luh” rather than “eye-luh”. So if that would really bother you, maybe spell it “Ila“.

    Reply

  6. All of our kids have names of Gaelic, Scottish or Irish origin and we thought this name was unique and beautiful. Its pronounced “eye luh”

    Reply

  7. We thought naming our daughter Isla was a great way to honor both my nana and mother being born in England and myself growing up on an island off the coast of Maine.

    Reply

    • That’s my name hehe <33!

      Reply

  8. My beloved and I are both of Scottish heritage so choosing a name connected to that culture was a great launching off point for us. Isla and Ness were our two choices, but Isla quickly became our favorite after a very short deliberation. We even had Isla picked out before her conception!
    We love how musical it sounds to us, and the honoring of our heritage. We also love the natural connction with Isla meaning “island” or “little island”.
    It’s about 50/50 on whether or not people have had to ask how to pronounce, guessing that it is “Iz-lah” not “Eye-lah”, but no doubt a little polite correction on our part as parents and for Isla as she grows up won’t be the end of the world.

    Reply

  9. We chose the name Isla because we liked how we didn’t know anyone in our lives with that name. Also, being a teacher makes choosing names tricky and this was a name I’ve never had a student with. The only thing I worry about is that people will pronounce it wrong. But we love our little peanut Isla Grace!

    Reply

    • We’re also going with Isla Grace!, to arrive in May ? And my husband and I thought the exact same thing.

      Reply

  10. Isla is a pretty beautiful name that we thought of she’s half hispanic an Philippino she great baby doesn’t cry a lot she plays with momma an dadda

    Reply

  11. When my daughter was born, none of the names I had loved throughout my pregnancy seemed to fit her! She had such an incredibly calm, serene temperament and all of the names I had in mind suddenly seemed too frilly or prissy for her. The only name I could find myself calling her was Isla, and loved the meaning “island” which makes me think of a beach- babe , nature- loving, free spirited personality. As soon as we settled on the name (3 days after her birth!) it felt so right and we’ve received so many compliments on her beautiful name. Every time I say it or hear someone say it, it makes my heart sing. 🙂

    Reply

  12. We’ve always liked the name. On our honeymoon one of the first stops was the Isle of Islay in Scotland. It’s a gorgeous place and the area holds family history. It’s an island and my husband and I are both happiest by the ocean.

    Reply

  13. Beautiful name, with a meaning that provokes a sense of calm and grace while being uniquely traditional. Plus it’s fun and easy to say!

    Reply

  14. I love sea, beach, water and island. When I got pregnant we both agree with the name and middle name that related to sea and island.
    And Yes! It’s a girl and her name is Morgan Isla.
    Unique and beautiful.

    Reply

  15. My best friend actually suggested the name and my husband and I just really liked it. I like that it means island in several languages. We’ve been on a few tropical island trips and we just love island life so when we heard the name Isla, it seemed a perfect fit!

    Reply

  16. I’m 7 months an 30 wks me an my husband are having a baby girl we came up with this name to ISLA we love it

    Reply

  17. Both my husband and I loved it from the first time we saw it on a list of girl names online. Unique and different but not weird

    Reply

  18. I’ve always found the name beautiful and lyrical sounding. It has been on our list for a few years now and goes perfectly with our daughter’s name!

    Reply

  19. we chose isla because we love the uniqueness of it. also everywhere my husband and i have been involved an island or water, and my husband works in the marine industry! i love the sound of the name, but do not especially love the spelling, as many people pronounce it as it is spelled and do not associate it with island.

    Reply

  20. We wanted a girl name to match our other 2 that start with A and O. So her name had to start with I or E. We didn’t like any E names so we found Isla with the I names and I love how it looks. The s throws people off but I adore it. It’s perfect.

    Reply

  21. I first heard the name Isla, from the actress Isla Fischer and I just loved it!
    I thought it was very pretty and unique.

    Reply

  22. My husband and I were driving down the 101 on our way to Santa Barbara for the weekend. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I was 9 weeks pregnant..soon to find out my babies gender. We passed a sign that said Isla Vista and we both LOVED the name Isla (Pronounced “I-La”) and it’s vintage charm.

    Reply

  23. It had two meanings, Island or devoted to God. It was special to me because my eldest name means gift from god, and children are the most precious gift so I wanted to keep with the theme.

    Reply

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