Isla
Isla is a feminine given name traditionally of primarily Scottish usage, derived from "Islay", which is the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is also the name of two Scottish rivers. The root word has no known origin.
- Scottish
- English
Meaning & Origin of Isla
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Isla is a feminine given name traditionally of primarily Scottish usage, derived from "Islay", which is the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is also the name of two Scottish rivers. The root word has no known origin.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Scottish
- English
The Story of Isla
Isla first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1886, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2026: 5,577 births, good for #31 nationwide. About 59% of every Isla on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Isla ranks #31 for baby girls with 5,577 births, rising sharply (+33% over the past five years). All told, over 63K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Isla
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Isla. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Isla
Phonetically similar names — useful when Isla is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Isla
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About the name Isla
Isla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1886 and has accumulated 63K births in the dataset. Isla's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #31. Use the chart and map above to compare Isla's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "I" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.