Ila

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 is also given to boys.

Pronounced EE-luh.

As of October 2026, Ila ranked #3788 in US births in 1936 SSA, peaked at #2817 in 1916.