← All names

Isla

Girl name · 8,474 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Isla: 8,474 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 435 births in 2014.

Isla is a Scottish island name, derived from the Gaelic *Òigh-rìgh* or *Innis Ïle*, meaning ‘Island of Islay’. It belongs to the same family as the Hebridean island Islay, sharing a common root with the Old Norse *Sól*, for ‘sun’. Famous bearers include actresses Isla Fisher and Scottish-born Isla Blair, who rose to fame for her television roles. The name gained widespread popularity following the release of the film *The Beach*, whose female lead was named Françoise—but the real surge came in Scotland itself, where Isla consistently ranks among the top ten girls’ names. A lovely variant is Islay, the name of the island itself, though Isla is far more common on birth certificates.