Isla (given name)


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. Isla meaning dynamic, vibrant, brilliant, bright as sun. In 2016, it was both the fourth most popular name for baby girls born in Scotland and the fourth most popular name for girls born in England and Wales. It was among the top 10 names given to girls born on the Isle of Man in 2009 and one of the top five names for girls born in Guernsey in 2010, in 2014 it was the third-most popular girl's name in the United Kingdom. It ranked sixth for girls born in New Zealand in 2013. It appeared in the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States for the first time in 2008, when it ranked at 619th place. Since then it has increased in popularity and ranked at #150 for girls born in the United States in 2014.
The name in its original form was Ilay or Islay, and it was a masculine given name, and was rare among women. Today Isla is regarded as a distinctly female name and Islay a rare male name. Other forms of the girls' name derived from alternate historical spellings of the Scottish island's name include Ile and Ila.