Ila

EYE-luh; EE-luh

Scottish, Hindi, Hungarian, Finnish

"from the island; earth, sacred speech; shining light; joy"

Ila Origin and Meaning

The name Ila is a girl's name of French origin meaning "from the island; earth, sacred speech; shining light; joy".

A simple name that's rising fast in the US, likely inspired by the popularity of Isla and Ayla. This streamlined form might appeal to those who like Ana, Ivy, and Ada, and it brings a multicultural element to the name.

Deriving from a number of different origins, Isla could be a variant of the Scottish Islay and Isla, which also coincide with the Spanish world for "island". Alternatively, it is a Hindi name, derived from Sanskrit, meaning "sacred speech", "earth" or "heavens".

Another possibility is that it is a Hungarian short form of Ilona, a variant of Helen, which coincides with the Finnish word for joy.

Ila ranked in the US Top 1000 for the first half of the 20th century, but fell out of favor in the 50s. After an absence of nearly 70 years, it reappeared in the charts in 2020 and a recent year saw it given to 478 babies.

Ila Rank in US Top 1000

# 679 in the US

Ila Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1357 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Ila

• 679 US 2024
• 1357 Nameberry 2025
• 32 Unique 2019
• 749 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Ila

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Ila.

• Caris
• Ilana
• Via
• Sari
• Masha
• Sela
• Amerie
• Kezia
• Talula
• Sura
• Reine
• Riva
• Noelia
• Amabella
• Ela
• Lainie
• Marena
• Lilla
• Rona
• Sana

Famous People Named Ila

• Ila Fox Loetscher aka the Turtle Lady American aviatrix and sea turtle advocate

The name Ila in Pop Culture

• Ila of Caprica unseen wife of Commander Adama on TV's "Battlestar Galactica"
• Ila character in movie "Noah"