The baby name Isla has quickly become a twenty-first century staple for our daughters.
Thanks to Kayt for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day and to Mari for requesting an update.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ISLA MEAN?
If your first exposure to Isla was Spanish 101, or maybe Madonna’s 1987 single “La Isla Bonita,” you may have assumed the name was pronounced EES-lah.
That’s accurate en español, but the name that’s rising fast today is not the Spanish word.
In fact, Isla has a silent ‘s’ – EYE-la. It’s Scottish, from the island of Islay.
Isla is simply an older spelling of Islay. It’s part of the inner Hebrides and known for its traditional whisky distilleries. 79 separate islands make up the archipelago, half inhabited and half not. Islay is considered the Queen of the Hebrides, the southernmost island in the chain.
So what does Islay mean, exactly?
The name was recorded as Il, Yla, Ila, Ilea, and Ile – the Gaelic spelling – over the centuries.
One story tells of a Danish princess – or possibly a goddess – named Yula. She filled her apron with stones and set off to find her beloved. As she walked the coast of Scotland, the stones fell and formed the Hebrides.
She never found him, and it’s said Islay was her final resting place.
While it’s quite romantic to imagine that a wandering princess lent her name to the island, it’s probably not so.
But whisper Yula to Islay to the baby name Isla, and the name would eventually catch on.
It just took a dozen centuries or so.
ISLA FISHER
Isla Fisher was born in Australia to Scottish parents. She graduated from Australian television to American movies. 2005’s comedy Wedding Crashers marked her big break.
Fisher played Sophie Kinsella’s beloved Becky Bloomwood in the big screen version of Confessions of a Shopaholic. She was Henley in Now You See Me and Myrtle in The Great Gatsby. She’s been busy ever since. The Australian actress returned to the country where she grew up for 2022’s miniseries Wolf Like Me.
In the US, the name’s rise is closely tied to Ms. Fisher’s success.
But in the UK, especially in Scotland, the popularity of the baby name Isla predates the actress, and other notable people have answered to Isla.
More famous people by the name include:
- Scotland-born folk singer Isla Cameron found success beginning in the 1950s.
- British actress Isla Blair’s career started in the 1960s.
- Singer Isla St Clair – born Isabella – recorded her first album of traditional Scottish folk songs in 1971, and later became a successful television host.
- Journalist Isla Traquair started her long career as a television host in her native Scotland.
The baby name Isla currently ranks #3 in the England and Wales. The same is true in Scotland.
Isla Phillips is the great-granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, daughter of Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne. While she’s a distant twentieth in line to the throne, the name’s acceptance in royal circles may signal how very mainstream it has become.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ISLA?
The baby name Isla wasn’t unknown in the US. It appeared in the Top 1000 a handful of times in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The first version of this post, written in 2008, described Isla as “poised to be the Next Big Thing.”
That’s certainly proved true.
It wasn’t just Isla, though.
First came Ayla. It entered the US Top 1000 in 1987. Jean M. Auel coined the name for her 1980 bestseller Clan of the Cave Bear. Darryl Hannah played Ayla in the 1986 movie adaptation, sparking the name’s rise. It could be a Turkish name referring to the moon, a Hebrew name meaning oak tree, or simply an invention. As of 2023, Ayla ranked #104.
Traditional Ella has a long history of use, and ranked in the Top 100 at the turn of the twentieth century. It stood at #32 as of 2023.
Factor in #30 Layla and #98 Lyla – choose your spelling for both popular names – and many vowel-forward, ends-with-la similar names for girls can be found in the current rankings.
But it’s the girl name Isla where the numbers look most dramatic.
Isla returned to the US Top 1000 in 2008 at #623. A year later, it reached #345. By 2018, it cracked the Top 100, and as of 2023, Isla ranks #33.
Also worth noting: baby girl names beginning with I, including Ivy and Iris, also rank in the current US Top 100.
There’s no question that Isla fits right in with established favorites like Mia, Mila, and Ella, as well as Lyla, Layla, and company.
CHART-TOPPING FAVORITE
The baby name Isla has changed dramatically over the years.
Fans of the Harry Potter series might claim the name for the Wizarding World. In 2003’s The Order of the Phoenix, the extended family tree appears to include Isla Black Hitchens. (She married a Muggle named Bob and was disowned by her snobbish Wizarding family.)
It was a relatively obscure discovery back then. It’s since become a chart-topper.
Actress Isla Fisher deserves much of the credit. But so does our love of flowing, liquid names for our daughters, particularly short and nickname-proof possibilities.
As for worries about pronunciation? While Spanish speakers may stumble, it’s worth nothing that the ‘s’ is also silent in island.
That similarity reinforces the name’s ties to the natural world.
Alternate spellings like Iyla are starting to catch on, too.
Not so long ago, this might’ve served as a substitute for favorites like Ava. While those days are past, the baby name Isla remains a short, sweet, complete, and stylish choice for a daughter. The legend tying it to Scotland might make it a perfect heritage option, too.
What do you think of the baby name Isla?
This post was originally published on August 19, 2008. It was substantially revised and re-posted on August 31, 2015; June 11, 2022; April 20, 2024; and again on November 17, 2024.
I CAN’T see Isla being the new Ava at all. I think the confusion with the Spanish word is also likely to impinge on any potential massive popularity in the United States. Now, Lila. There’s a name that’s going to be huge. It’s already gaining ground. I can see Lila being the next Ava for sure.
I have to groan at Gloria. It’s garish!
BTW Isla is my great grandmother’s name.
Hmm Isla… well Brits have been aware of Isla Fisher for quite a lot longer than Americans as she appeared in a popular Aussie soap screened here for a few years (and was often in celebrity magazines). In addition, the footballer Frank Lampard and athlete Paula Radcliffe have both named offspring Isla in the last couple of years – neither of which is particularly noteworthy but contribute to the name Isla percolating into our national psyche (and thus explain why she is – out of nowhere – charging up our charts to her current ranking of 70).
Personally, I am confused by my reaction to the name Isla. I hate following the crowd but am well aware that while I have a crush on the name now, I paid her no attention just a couple of short years ago. In the current climate, Isla sounds fresh yet old fashioned and is unfussy without being dull. I would most likely steer clear of her though as she is no doubt set to reach even greater heights of popularity and such a huge upsurge in usage would diminish her most appealing quality: mysteriousness.
Lol to Lola’s comment re. the Wedding Crashers sisters names! I had the exact same thought too – sisters called Clare, Gloria and not fogetting Christina (the bride) – how bizarre!! 🙂
Now Olive, there’s a name I LOVE.
RF, LOL at “name civilian.”
DH, you’re right – Isla feels like Mia and Ava – easy to wear with almost any last name and bound to have broad appeal. At the moment, Isla seems like a good substitute for parents dismayed to learn that Ava is in the Top Ten.
I can see the appeal of EES lah – I assumed that’s how it was pronounced, based on my tragic Spanglish.
As for Olive’s mama, I could find any news about when she & SBC were planning to tie the knot, but apparently they’re still happily engaged:
https://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrities/hollywood/isla-fisher-out-with-olive-206011/#blog
Isla is just okay to me, though I can see the appeal. What bothers me most is that I never heard this name until the actress. It seems oh-so modern and wholly tied to her. Personally, I prefer more history. While I can support and like many coincidental place names, having the name of an island/ country/ continent strikes me as a bit odd. I also think many a name civilian would get the pronunciation wrong. Maybe I have low expectations, but coming from the parent to Luckis and Esera – a.k.a Lucas and Ezra – I have my doubts.
I Love this name!!
It recently made it on to my fave names list.
I know a few little Isla’s here in Scotland but i still like it although it is popular here.
🙂
DH – Island (or “Eesla”) isn’t any worse than Irelyn. Ha-ha. What about Scotlyn, for that matter?
I can see the appeal of Isla, just like I can see the appeal of Ava and Mia. There’s something very modern and cross-cultural about these short, feminine names. Too bad they tend to explode in popularity.
And, maybe I’m showing my lack of sophistication here, but I think I like the EES-la pronunciation better. Would it really be that strange, in a world of Trinitys, Brooklyns, and Dakotas, to name your child Island?
My name is Isla i pronounce it the spanish way is-lah/ees-la…it bother me that a lot of people now think the ooonly way to pronounce it is i-lah like Isla Fisher. I personally think theres no right way to pronounce the name it dependes from where you come from i’m from Texas, US no one has ever pronounced my name i-la its always been the spanish/latin way just saying island in spanish. I LOVE pronouncing with the s instead of with out it. A lot of people have told me like my name as i say it
Know what? I like Gloria better than Isla. Not that I think Isla’s awful or anything, she’s too “breathy” for me. Same problem I have with Seth & Hugh. She did, however, make a superb Gloria (even though I’m still trying to rationale sisters Claire & Gloria? Huh? What?) and is what spurred my re-interest in Gloria/Gloriana.
I ususally am wary of celebrity names, as in my family, you never know when someone’s going to do something stupid that will tarnish the name. She’s new enough that I still worry (but swoon over her daughter’s name: Olive!) Is she still engaged to Sasha? I don’t pay attenion to much celebrity gossip.
I do think Isla’s a lovely choice and a fairly comfortable one at that. Easy to spell and not too hard to figure out. Once you’ve got it, it’s memorable. And again, it beats a good handful of names in the top 50!
I love it. I do, I do, I do. I also love Ayla, but when I was a child reading Clan of the Cave Bear, I was also a Spanish student, ans pronounced it the same as Isla. That said, when I see the frequency with which Isla pops up on Y!A, I’m tempted to forget it. Not that I have anything against a popular name (son = Ethan James) but it’s more that I don’t want anything to do with certain people… Bashing aside, I do like this name a lot, but because my last name starts with L, it would most likely never be agreed to by DH – if we ever even get around to having a daughter. 🙂
You were pronouncing Ayla correctly! In the Eastern part of the world (where the name originated) it has always, and forever will be pronounced “eye-lah”. I don’t know where the “ale-lah” pronunciation came from. Very strange.