Isla vs Rebecca
Isla and Rebeccacompared 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, Isla was ranked #2 and Rebecca #431 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Isla was ranked #4 and Rebecca #413 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Isla was ranked #8 and Rebecca #337 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2011, Isla was ranked #13 and Rebecca #85 among girls in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Isla was ranked #13 and Rebecca #141 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2008, Isla was ranked #72 and Rebecca #94 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Isla and Rebecca over time
Isla and Rebecca appear together in 5 published lists, across 130 years of shared records. Isla held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Rebecca in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Rebecca reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Isla in none. 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 took the other's place near the top
In England and Wales · Girls, Isla moved into the top 50 at #36 in 2008 as Rebecca fell out of it to #66, having been #47 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2008, Isla moved ahead of Rebecca in England and Wales · Girls — #65 and #47 the year before became #36 and #66.
- Longest-running competitions
Isla and Rebecca were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 50 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #4 and #413.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Scotland · Girls within 2 years — Isla #2 in 2024, Rebecca #431 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls50 shared years, 1996–2025
Isla held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Rebecca in 12.
Highest recorded here: Isla #3 in 2014, Rebecca #8 in 1996.
The order changed in 2008: Isla moved ahead. In 2007 they stood at #65 and #47; by 2008 that had become #36 and #66.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Isla #4, Rebecca #413.
Scotland · Girls27 shared years, 2024–2024
Isla held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Rebecca in 0.
Highest recorded here: Isla #2 in 2024, Rebecca #431 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Isla #2, Rebecca #431.
Republic of Ireland · Girls24 shared years, 1979–2025
Isla held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Rebecca in 14.
Highest recorded here: Isla #11 in 2023, Rebecca #14 in 2002.
The order changed in 2016: Isla moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #73 and #62; by 2016 that had become #53 and #75.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Isla #13, Rebecca #141.
Northern Ireland · Girls21 shared years, 2004–2024
Isla held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Rebecca in 8.
Highest recorded here: Isla #1 in 2023, Rebecca #17 in 2005.
The order changed in 2012: Isla moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #48 and #38; by 2012 that had become #31 and #53.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Isla #8, Rebecca #337.
New Zealand · Girls8 shared years, 2004–2011
Isla held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Rebecca in 2.
Highest recorded here: Isla #13 in 2011, Rebecca #41 in 2005.
The order changed in 2006: Isla moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #88 and #41; by 2006 that had become #47 and #50.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Isla #13, Rebecca #85.
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 | Isla | Rebecca |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A Scottish place name; not generally treated as having a separate lexical 'meaning' beyond the river/place it names. | Traditionally associated with concepts of 'joining', 'tying', or a 'team/yoke' — a binding or connecting sense, from a Semitic root about fastening things together. |
| Origin | Scottish | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka |
| Pronunciation | /ˈaɪlə/ | /rəˈbɛkə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Islay | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #4 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #141 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Isla is recorded with a Scottish origin, while Rebecca is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek Rhebekka origin.
- Isla has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Rebecca.
- Isla's recorded meaning differs from Rebecca'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 Isla a "high" Data Confidence level and Rebecca a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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
Rebecca
Popularity journey
First recorded1955
First recorded at #440 among girls in Norway in 1955 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2008
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1976 (recorded 1966–2008).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #413 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls