Isla
femaleScottishA Scottish place name; not generally treated as having a separate lexical 'meaning' beyond the river/place it names.
Origin: Scottish — From the River Isla in Scotland.
Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1979 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Northern Ireland in 2023. See regions.
Isla: Recorded since 1979, with a gap of 15 years, it reached #1 in 2020, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.
Data Confidence
Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed
Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, most expected sections are populated, popularity data covers multiple regions.
Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.
Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.
See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.
Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-06-15), against a 270-day staleness threshold.
Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (6) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.
Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.
Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.
Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.
Name Characteristics
How these are calculatedDescriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.
Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.
Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.
Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.
Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.
Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.
Overview
- Origin
- Scottish
- Meaning
- A Scottish place name; not generally treated as having a separate lexical 'meaning' beyond the river/place it names.
- Pronunciation
- EYE-luh
- Syllables
- 2
- Common nicknames
- None recorded
- Classification
- Traditional & modern
- Gender usage
- female
- Language family
- Scottish
Popularity
among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025
View as table
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1996 | #382 |
| 1997 | #380 |
| 1998 | #369 |
| 1999 | #286 |
| 2000 | #297 |
| 2001 | #317 |
| 2002 | #276 |
| 2003 | #200 |
| 2004 | #168 |
| 2005 | #125 |
| 2006 | #93 |
| 2007 | #65 |
| 2008 | #36 |
| 2009 | #30 |
| 2010 | #22 |
| 2011 | #15 |
| 2012 | #8 |
| 2013 | #5 |
| 2014 | #3 |
| 2015 | #4 |
| 2016 | #4 |
| 2017 | #3 |
| 2018 | #4 |
| 2019 | #3 |
| 2020 | #3 |
| 2021 | #3 |
| 2022 | #3 |
| 2023 | #3 |
| 2024 | #4 |
| 2025 | #4 |
VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.
See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales
What the data shows
Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 24 of the 47 years from 1979 to 2025.
In 2025: #4 among girls in England and Wales, #4 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, #13 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1979–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources
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
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Meaning & Origin
A Scottish place name; not generally treated as having a separate lexical 'meaning' beyond the river/place it names.
Often assumed by English speakers to be related to the Spanish word 'isla' (island), but the Scottish place name and the Spanish word are independent coincidences, not a shared root.
VerifiedSource: Namewise editorial team, Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.
From the River Isla in Scotland.
Demonstration dataSource: Namewise editorial team.Confidence: low.
Where Isla is officially recorded
6 official registrars have recorded Isla, between 1979 and 2025, in 32 of those 47 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.
| Registrar | Recorded | Years | Its own highest position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | 1979–2025 | 24 | #11 in 2023 |
| England and Wales | 1996–2025 | 30 | #3 in 2014 |
| Northern Ireland | 2004–2024 | 21 | #1 in 2023 |
| New Zealand | 2004–2023 | 20 | #1 in 2020 |
| New South Wales, Australia | 2008–2025 | 18 | #1 in 2023 |
| Scotland | 2024 | 1 | #2 in 2024 |
Its high point came 10 years earlier in England and Wales (2014) than in Scotland (2024).
No registrar recorded it for 15 years after 1980; it appears again in 1996.
Variants
- Islay · spelling
Similar Names
See full comparison →Shares Celtic-region roots and nature-adjacent associations.
Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.
Spelling
Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.
Common alternate spellings: Islay.
Pronunciation
- Syllables
- 2
- Ease
- easy
Demonstration dataSource: Namewise editorial team.Confidence: low.
Where Isla Is Recorded
National statistical agencies have recorded Isla in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.
Notable Usage
No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.
Sibling & Surname Compatibility
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