Fun Facts About the Name Islah
- 601 babies named Islah: U.S. records list 601 babies given the name Islah from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Islah - about 1 boy for every 119 girls.
What Does the Name Islah Mean?
Islah is an Arabic name taken from the noun iṣlāḥ (إصلاح), which means "reform," "amendment," or "reconciliation" - the act of putting something right or restoring it to a sound state. The word comes from the root ṣ-l-ḥ, whose basic sense is soundness, goodness, or being right. The same root produces ṣāliḥ ("righteous," "good"), ṣalāḥ ("goodness," "welfare"), and ṣulḥ ("peace," "settlement of a dispute"). The related verb aṣlaḥa means to mend, correct, or reconcile. So the name's literal sense is "a making right," customarily translated as "reform" or "reconciliation."
Islah Name History & Origins
Because the name is simply the Arabic word iṣlāḥ used as a personal name, its history is that of the word. Arabic naming often draws directly on vocabulary with religious or ethical weight, and iṣlāḥ belongs to a family of terms about putting things right - repairing a broken object, settling a quarrel, or correcting a corrupt practice. The most familiar religious sense is reform: the effort to restore a community to what is held to be proper practice.
That sense kept the word prominent in the Arabic-speaking world and in other Muslim societies. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries it appeared in the names of reform-minded journals, schools, and associations across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, and "al-Islah" ("the Reform") remains a common element in the names of institutions and political groups. These uses of the word helped keep it familiar as a name, though they are not the reason it exists as one.
As a given name, Islah is found in Arab countries and in Muslim communities in Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and beyond. It is used for both boys and girls, but it is particularly common as a girl's name in South Asia. The spelling is usually transliterated as Islah in English; Arabic script writes it with the letters alif, sad, lam, alif, and ha.
Islah has no connection to the Scottish name Isla, which comes from the island of Islay; the two names only look alike in English letters.
How Popular is the Name Islah?
Islah has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2020. Its best rank was #2,477 in 2020.
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 | #3,009 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2024 | #4,134 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 2023 | #2,950 | 57 | 0.0036% |
| 2022 | #2,666 | 65 | 0.0040% |
| 2021 | #2,899 | 58 | 0.0035% |
| 2020 | #2,477 | 70 | 0.0043% |
| 2019 | #2,663 | 65 | 0.0039% |
| 2018 | #2,625 | 66 | 0.0039% |
| 2017 | #2,880 | 58 | 0.0034% |
| 2016 | #3,348 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2015 | #12,273 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #17,610 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #8,842 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #12,968 | 5 | 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 More Lists with Name Islah
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with I
Unique Short Girl Names That Start with I
How the Name Islah 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.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Islah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Islah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.