Evelyn vs Isla
Evelyn and Isla compared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Evelyn was ranked #120 and Isla #2 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Evelyn was ranked #12 and Isla #3 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Evelyn was ranked #12 and Isla #4 among girls in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Evelyn was ranked #13 and Isla #4 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Evelyn was ranked #75 and Isla #8 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Evelyn was ranked #94 and Isla #13 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Evelyn and Isla over time
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Evelyn and Isla over time
Evelyn and Isla appear together in 5 published lists, across 101 years of shared records. Isla held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Evelyn in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Isla reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Evelyn in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2012, Isla moved ahead of Evelyn in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #185 and #189 the year before became #141 and #129.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Evelyn and Isla averaged 31.7 places apart, ending at #12 and #4.
- Longest-running competitions
Evelyn and Isla were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #12 and #4.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Evelyn #8 in 2023, Isla #1 in 2023.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Evelyn held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Isla in 26.
Highest recorded here: Evelyn #12 in 2025, Isla #3 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Evelyn #12, Isla #4.
Republic of Ireland · Girls24 shared years, 1979–2025
Evelyn held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Isla in 14.
Highest recorded here: Evelyn #76 in 2022, Isla #11 in 2023.
The order changed in 2012: Isla moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #185 and #189; by 2012 that had become #141 and #129.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Evelyn #94, Isla #13.
Northern Ireland · Girls19 shared years, 2006–2024
Evelyn held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isla in 19.
Highest recorded here: Evelyn #75 in 2024, Isla #1 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Evelyn #75, Isla #8.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls15 shared years, 2011–2025
Evelyn held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isla in 15.
Highest recorded here: Evelyn #8 in 2023, Isla #1 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Evelyn #13, Isla #4.
New Zealand · Girls13 shared years, 2011–2023
Evelyn held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isla in 13.
Highest recorded here: Evelyn #12 in 2023, Isla #1 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Evelyn #12, Isla #3.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Evelyn | Isla |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From an English surname derived from the given name Aveline. Originally more common for boys in the 17th century, now used almost entirely as a feminine name. | A Scottish place name; not generally treated as having a separate lexical 'meaning' beyond the river/place it names. |
| Origin | English (surname origin) | Scottish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛv.ə.lɪn/ | /ˈaɪlə/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Islay |
| Recorded regional usage | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #12 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #4 (2025) |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Evelyn is recorded with a English (surname origin) origin, while Isla is recorded with a Scottish origin.
- Evelyn has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Isla.
- Evelyn's recorded meaning differs from Isla's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Evelyn a "medium" Data Confidence level and Isla a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Evelyn
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #121 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded2011–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2023 (recorded 2011–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #12 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Isla
Popularity journey
First recorded1979
First recorded at #467 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1979 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded2008–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2023 (recorded 2008–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls