girl's name
Isla
EYE-luh
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 134,941
the United States
#28
2025 births
Isla is a girl's name of Scottish origin, taken from Islay, an island in the Inner Hebrides, and from the River Isla in the Scottish mainland. It is pronounced EYE-luh, with the s silent, and is commonly understood to mean "island."
- Isla is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2025, when 6,019 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 269 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Isla over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Isla is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 23 |
| 1890s | 74 |
| 1900s | 112 |
| 1910s | 244 |
| 1920s | 269 |
| 1930s | 182 |
| 1940s | 95 |
| 1950s | 33 |
| 1960s | 20 |
| 1970s | 26 |
| 1980s | 55 |
| 1990s | 144 |
| 2000s | 1,925 |
| 2010s | 22,864 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 32,205 |
What Isla means
Isla is generally read as meaning island, reflecting its source in the Hebridean island of Islay. Strictly it is a place name rather than a word for island, so the meaning is inherited from the location rather than from a common noun.
Where Isla comes from
Isla comes from Scottish geography rather than from a descriptive word. Islay is an island in the Inner Hebrides whose own name is of uncertain and probably pre-Gaelic origin, though it is often connected to Norse or Gaelic elements relating to islands. The River Isla, in Perthshire and Angus, provides a second source. Scottish naming practice has long drawn on rivers and islands, and Isla emerged as a given name in this tradition. The spelling produces a silent s in the standard pronunciation, EYE-luh, which regularly surprises speakers meeting the name in writing first. It moved from Scottish to wider English-speaking use during the twentieth century.
Isla in use
The s in Isla is silent, a feature inherited from the Scottish place name rather than added later.
How popular is Isla?
In 2025, Isla was given to 1,959 babies in England and Wales, ranking #4 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Isla is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Isla
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Isla also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Isla over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Isla in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Isla
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Isla — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Isla
What does the name Isla mean?
Isla is generally understood to mean "island," taken from the Hebridean island of Islay.
How do you pronounce Isla?
EYE-luh — the s is silent.
Is Isla a Scottish name?
Yes. It comes from the island of Islay and the River Isla in Scotland.
How popular is the name Isla?
In 2025, Isla was given to 1,959 babies in England and Wales, ranking #4 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Isla a girl's or a boy's name?
Isla is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Isla?
Isla has 2 syllables.
When was Isla most popular?
Isla peaked in 2025, when 6,019 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Isla a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Isla currently ranks #2 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.