seven reflections
Login
Illa Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Illa

Pronunciation: IL-uh

Meaning Earth; speech Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#9,711
TREND
1,742
Peak Years
1926, 1927, 1929
Lowest Years
1898, 1965, 1961
Energy Archetype
Compassionate & Creative

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Illa in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Illa

  • More than 1 thousand babies named Illa: U.S. records list 1,800 babies given the name Illa from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Illa Mean?

Illa is a feminine name most often explained as a variant spelling of Ila, the Latin-letter form of the Sanskrit name Ilā. In Sanskrit, ilā carries the senses "earth," "speech," and "flow," and is closely tied to iḍā, a word for the offering or refreshment in a sacrifice. The meaning usually given for the name is "earth" or "speech."

The same spelling is also used in parts of Europe as a short, familiar form of longer names beginning with Il-, such as Ilona (the Hungarian form of Helen) and Ilse. Used that way, Illa has no separate word meaning of its own; it is simply a shortened form of the parent name. The Sanskrit name and the European short form look identical in Latin letters, but their similarity does not by itself prove a shared origin.

Illa Name History & Origins

The Sanskrit name Ilā belongs to figures in Vedic and later Hindu tradition. In the Rigveda, Ilā is associated with the sacrificial offering and is grouped with the goddesses Sarasvatī and Bhāratī. In the Puranic accounts, Ilā is a child of Manu who is changed from a man into a woman and who then becomes the wife of Budha and the mother of Pururavas, the founder of the Lunar dynasty. Because the name appears in these early religious texts, the form Ilā has a long documented history in South Asia, and it is still used as a girl's name in India.

The double-L spelling Illa also appears in Europe, where it generally works as an everyday short form of a longer given name - Ilona, Ilse, and others - rather than as a borrowing of the Sanskrit name. In Hungarian and German naming, a longer name of this type can be reduced to a short form such as Ila or Illa for daily use. These two traditions are distinct, and the written resemblance of the names should not be taken as evidence that one descends from the other.

How Popular is the Name Illa?

Illa recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1926. Its best rank was #983 in 1926.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore More Lists with Name Illa

Most Popular Girl Names That Start with I

See List of Most Popular Girl Names Starting with I

Short Girl Names That Start with I

Discover Short Girl Names Starting with I

How the Name Illa Shapes Your Personality and Life?

Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.

You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.

✦ Illa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Illa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
Explore Insights & Tips

Name Search