If Eilidh is the 'correct' spelling....

[aprilw]

So I ran across the name Islie; DH and I both love the name and I was researching it to figure out if it was made up or not and found out it's actually Scottish (Welsh/Irish?). It's spelled Eilidh (prn Ay-lee) in the original language. How would y'all americanize the spelling? I'm leaning toward Eiley DH likes Islie.

[hayley88]

It's either Scottish or Irish Gaelic. Definitely not Welsh,the spellings in Welsh names tend to be more phonetic.
Thought not a fan of changing names as a rule,if I had to choose one it would be Eiley. I think this may run into pronounciation issues itself,but less so than the others.
You could just keep the original spelling though. The more Americanised spellings are far from usual and will themselves run into problems.
I think it's a very pretty name by the way

[taylorblueskye]

For some reason all of the above spellings hurt my eyes. I think all of them will lead to confusion so you might as well just stick with Eilidh and at least have the name right. I think Eilidh looks way more classic, less trendy, less made-up.

[mischa]

I've heard of the singing group The Isley Brothers. The surname Isley means "hazel wood or grove". Unfortunately, the "s" is pronounced so spelling if you spell it Islie, you may run into the same problem. Eiley would probably be the best approximation of "eye-lee".

[elisabeth rae]

I voted Eiley (even Iley would work). If you're going to change the spelling, might as well change it to one that makes the pronunciation clear.

[clendons]

Eilidh is a Scottish gaelic name pronounced AY-lee Not EYE-lee so that is a different name imo. Sorry get a bit irritated when people use names from other cultures/places and deliberately mispronounce them! Also outside Scotland she'd be doomed to be called "eyelid" forever with the Eilidh spelling! I'd go with Isley if you want EYE-lee pn - looks the least made up to me. Good luck.

[kala_way]

I hate the original spelling. Sorry all those who love it, but in an American environment that spelling isn't seen as lovely and classic, it's seen as creative and cruel. It's not spelled remotely like it sounds.

I like Eiley best though Isley is okay

[allthatglitters]

I think the original is so gorgeous! But I understand why you'd want to change it. I think Eiley is best.

[jesba]

I don't really care for any of these spellings honestly. I just want to see the Finnish Aili, a real name that is very familiar there : D.

Isley looks too much like Islay, which is a real Scottish place, pronounced the same as Isla.

Isla nn Isley or Islie is very pretty and super cute, andI think people will "get it" more often, the name Isla is getting more popular with actress Isla Fisher etc.

If you are against either Aili or Isley/Isley as a nickname for Isla, Eiley is probably ultimately the easiest, and does get my vote even though I'm not a huge fan (I do love the sound).

Good luck!

[nat108]

Tell hubby Isley/Islie is "eyes-lee"

Based on the pronunciation of Eire, I'd think Eilidh is "ay-lee" not "eye-lee" so I wouldn't use that spelling