Fun Facts About the Name Isla
- Gaining ground: Isla remained in the U.S. top 100 for 8 consecutive years, from 2018 through 2025. In 2025, it gained 7 ranking positions compared with the previous year.
- More than 58 thousand babies named Isla: U.S. records list 58,248 babies given the name Isla from 1880 through 2025. Even 19 boys received the name Isla - about 1 boy for every 3,065 girls.
What Does the Name Isla Mean?
Isla is a Scottish feminine given name, commonly glossed as "island" and generally taken from the place name Islay (Ìle in Scottish Gaelic), an island in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. The island's name appears in medieval Norse sources as Íl, and its earlier sense is not known for certain, so the familiar gloss "island" is best understood as an association with the place rather than a documented translation of an old word meaning island. A second suggested source is the River Isla in Perthshire and Angus, whose name is likewise of uncertain origin. The name is not related to the Spanish word isla ("island," from Latin insula), which merely shares the same spelling.
Isla Name History & Origins
Isla comes from place names rather than from a personal name used in antiquity. Islay is the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides and was called Ìle by Gaelic speakers and Íl in Norse writing; the River Isla runs through eastern Scotland and meets the Tay near Perth. The personal name Isla is a Scottish usage formed from one or both of these names, with the spelling Isla rather than Islay becoming the usual form for people. Scottish custom, in which children were often named for islands, rivers, and other local places, helps explain how a place name took on this use.
Early use of the name was mainly Scottish, and it appears in Scottish records well before the 20th century. Through the 20th century it spread from Scotland to the rest of Britain and then to other English-speaking countries. Bearers include the Scottish singer Isla St Clair and the British actress Isla Blair. In Spain and Latin America, Isla is also given as a name because it is the ordinary Spanish word for "island," but that usage developed separately from the Scottish name.
How Popular is the Name Isla?
Isla recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Isla entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2018.
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.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #28 | 6,012 | 0.3741% |
| 2024 | #35 | 5,367 | 0.3327% |
| 2023 | #33 | 5,381 | 0.3358% |
| 2022 | #36 | 5,284 | 0.3224% |
| 2021 | #34 | 5,540 | 0.3379% |
| 2020 | #44 | 4,579 | 0.2834% |
| 2019 | #57 | 4,043 | 0.2410% |
| 2018 | #82 | 3,410 | 0.2005% |
| 2017 | #103 | 2,879 | 0.1668% |
| 2016 | #127 | 2,521 | 0.1423% |
| 2015 | #142 | 2,272 | 0.1273% |
| 2014 | #151 | 2,135 | 0.1195% |
| 2013 | #167 | 1,912 | 0.1090% |
| 2012 | #230 | 1,385 | 0.0787% |
| 2011 | #268 | 1,208 | 0.0687% |
| 2010 | #297 | 1,099 | 0.0618% |
| 2009 | #345 | 945 | 0.0514% |
| 2008 | #624 | 493 | 0.0261% |
| 2007 | #1,360 | 178 | 0.0093% |
| 2006 | #2,115 | 92 | 0.0048% |
| 2005 | #2,979 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 2004 | #4,037 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 2003 | #3,684 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2002 | #4,321 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2001 | #4,890 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2000 | #3,550 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1999 | #5,752 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #4,416 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1997 | #4,570 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1996 | #6,878 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #5,786 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #6,112 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #11,007 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #9,816 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #8,195 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #8,749 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #10,096 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #8,689 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #8,271 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #11,585 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,187 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #10,872 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #9,642 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #10,993 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #10,775 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #6,103 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #8,841 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #9,834 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #6,897 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #7,162 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #6,997 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #6,948 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #4,765 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1952 | #4,268 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #3,826 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1950 | #3,790 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1949 | #4,406 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1948 | #3,445 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1947 | #4,133 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #5,248 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1945 | #3,503 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1944 | #2,449 | 14 | 0.0011% |
| 1943 | #3,350 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1942 | #3,898 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1941 | #2,046 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1940 | #2,833 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1939 | #2,162 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1938 | #2,497 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1937 | #2,132 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1936 | #1,527 | 24 | 0.0023% |
| 1935 | #1,811 | 19 | 0.0018% |
| 1934 | #2,493 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1933 | #1,679 | 21 | 0.0021% |
| 1932 | #1,714 | 21 | 0.0020% |
| 1931 | #1,773 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1930 | #1,681 | 23 | 0.0020% |
| 1929 | #1,575 | 25 | 0.0022% |
| 1928 | #1,614 | 26 | 0.0023% |
| 1927 | #1,977 | 20 | 0.0017% |
| 1926 | #1,600 | 27 | 0.0023% |
| 1925 | #1,719 | 25 | 0.0021% |
| 1924 | #1,898 | 22 | 0.0018% |
| 1923 | #1,367 | 34 | 0.0028% |
| 1922 | #1,216 | 41 | 0.0034% |
| 1921 | #1,697 | 26 | 0.0021% |
| 1920 | #1,776 | 23 | 0.0019% |
| 1919 | #1,407 | 31 | 0.0027% |
| 1918 | #1,312 | 34 | 0.0029% |
| 1917 | #1,250 | 34 | 0.0031% |
| 1916 | #1,220 | 35 | 0.0034% |
| 1915 | #1,594 | 22 | 0.0022% |
| 1914 | #1,245 | 25 | 0.0033% |
| 1913 | #1,198 | 22 | 0.0035% |
| 1912 | #1,386 | 16 | 0.0029% |
| 1911 | #1,495 | 11 | 0.0026% |
| 1910 | #1,240 | 14 | 0.0035% |
| 1909 | #1,531 | 9 | 0.0026% |
| 1908 | #955 | 18 | 0.0054% |
| 1907 | #1,168 | 12 | 0.0038% |
| 1906 | #1,190 | 11 | 0.0037% |
| 1905 | #947 | 16 | 0.0055% |
| 1904 | #1,310 | 9 | 0.0033% |
| 1903 | #1,685 | 6 | 0.0023% |
| 1902 | #1,262 | 9 | 0.0034% |
| 1901 | #1,179 | 9 | 0.0038% |
| 1900 | #1,078 | 13 | 0.0043% |
| 1899 | #1,490 | 6 | 0.0026% |
| 1898 | #1,028 | 12 | 0.0046% |
| 1897 | #1,654 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| 1896 | #1,356 | 7 | 0.0029% |
| 1895 | #1,245 | 8 | 0.0034% |
| 1894 | #1,417 | 6 | 0.0027% |
| 1893 | #1,234 | 7 | 0.0033% |
| 1892 | #1,355 | 6 | 0.0028% |
| 1891 | #1,146 | 7 | 0.0038% |
| 1890 | #901 | 10 | 0.0053% |
| 1889 | #1,374 | 5 | 0.0028% |
| 1887 | #713 | 11 | 0.0075% |
| 1886 | #938 | 7 | 0.0048% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,084 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #11,367 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #11,129 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Name Lists Featuring Isla
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How the Name Isla 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 seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Isla's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Isla's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.