I like the simplicity of [name_f]Isla[/name_f] (pronounced eye-la), but afraid it might become the next [name_f]Ava[/name_f] or [name_f]Emma[/name_f].
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t get me wrong, I think [name_f]Ava[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] are beautiful, vintage and classic, I just want to avoid a name which might become super popular in the future.
When we picked our son’s name, I had never met anyone with the name, and now there are three others in town, so he has to go by his last initial!
It’s going to get really popular and if your not in the US it already is. 8th in Australia 4th in [name_f]England[/name_f] and 7th in [name_m]New[/name_m] Zealand.
It’s certainly quite popular, but I’d assume the spelling might keep it from reaching full potential as a top 10 name. [name_f]Ava[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] are both similar in that they’ve both been used as names for well over a century. [name_f]Isla[/name_f] by comparison is an upstart of a name.
I think it depends on your location. If you live in the states, you can actually find a SSA name list for your specific state and see which names are the most popular there. ([name_m]Just[/name_m] google it online!)
That way you can really hone in on what might be blowing up exclusive to your area, or what may be popular elsewhere but is unheard of in your location!
I hope this helps.
I think it will be very popular for a few more years, and it already is in a few places (including here in Australia - I know three little Islas). It’s been a fave of mine for years, so it’s a bit annoying it’s so popular, but that being said, I don’t think it will be in quite the league of [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Ava[/name_f]. Probably just below that. I agree with the PP who said that the spelling and simplicity of [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Ava[/name_f] will see it just ahead of something slightly less phonetic like [name_f]Isla[/name_f]. [name_f]Isla[/name_f] is gorgeous - even though I know three little Islas indirectly, it is still in my long list!
In the US and [name_f]Canada[/name_f], it’s still outside the top 100, so i think you should be fine. I have only ever met one, and she’s about 3-4 years old now. I seriously doubt it will get that big this soon. Maybe in a couple of years, but not right now.
It is big in the UK, Australia and NZ as others have mentioned but it still hasn’t caught on here as much yet.
If you look at [name_f]Isla[/name_f]'s stats in the USA, it entered the Top 1000 in 2008, started jumping up the Top 1000 quite rapidly, but the growth has steadied over the last 2/3 years:
I suspect that last year, it went up the list again, but possibly at a slower rate (like it has in the previous 2/3 years).
I can see it getting more popular, but the recent stats seem to suggest, that will happen gradually. Whereas with [name_f]Ava[/name_f], that imploded into popularity. In 1997 it was #618, by 2005, it was top ten! In the same number of years, [name_f]Isla[/name_f] has grown from #622 (so almost the same starting position), and climbed into the Top 150.
I know of one [name_f]Isla[/name_f], but I have come across/heard a few more. But, popularity is nothing like it used to be, even 5 years ago. People are using so many more names, so I don’t think [name_f]Isla[/name_f] is as popular as it seems to be. For example, it’s high up the top 10 in [name_f]England[/name_f] where I live, although I only know of 1… Whereas [name_f]Emma[/name_f] and [name_f]Emily[/name_f] were as popular list-wise when I was born, and I know/knew at least 15 of each.
On the upside, more people will know how to pronounce [name_f]Isla[/name_f] these days! When I first found the name and loved it (late 90s - thanks [name_f]Isla[/name_f] [name_m]Fisher[/name_m]) and put it on a mental name list, I thought it might be a name that needed a quick pronunciation explanation. I don’t think that’s the case anymore, not how it might once have been anyway.
Also I agree with @eoxima that popularity isn’t quite what it was. There will be the occasional bubble, and those are hard to predict. For example, a friend in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] used [name_f]Aria[/name_f] for her daughter about two years before it exploded in use - so her very uncommon name choice is now not so, but still, she hasn’t encountered dozens in the playground, just a couple, a few years younger.
I don’t think it’ll ever get as popular as [name_f]Ava[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] in the US. The names that tend to reach that level have wide appeal across different demographics, cultures, etc. and I just don’t think [name_f]Isla[/name_f] fits with that. Its pronunciation isn’t straight forward for some people, and in Spanish it means “island” and is pronounced differently so I can see people being hesitant to use it.
It seems like a name that is probably very popular in some areas of the country and barely used in others. Like someone else suggested, your best bet would be to look up the specific data for your state and see where it ranks. It’ll give you a better picture than just looking at the national data. I would check the previous years too to see if it’s being used more every year or if its usage is pretty steady.
My two year old is [name_f]Isla[/name_f]. We live in the southwest US and it is by no means popular at all. I’ve barely heard of two, one was an elderly woman who passed a few years ago and the other was just born recently.
I agree with others that its dependent on where you are located.
I absolutely love [name_f]Isla[/name_f], have done for a good few years now. It has gotten so popular - especially here in the UK. I’m not sure I would use it now if it continues to stay this popular. I’d never say never to using it but the popularity would be a big factor when considering it.
I live in southeastern USA and have only met 1 so far, and she spelled it Iyla, she’s 7-years-old. I love [name_f]Isla[/name_f], but the spelling versus sound of the name is probably holding it back to be not as popular as [name_f]Ava[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Isabella[/name_f], etc.
I’m not sure, but I love it and would use it if it didn’t rhyme with my own. (Mine starts with a “K” and even that is really rare at least in the Northeast US–meet about one every 3-4 years–and still get raving comments about every other time I introduce myself.) To me, the “I” version is even cooler–but that may mean it’s a bit trendy (since “I” names are apparently trending up).
Update: Oh boy, just checked on the SS page and it’s gone from 622 in 2008 to 141 in 2015. It does seem to be holding steady there (was similar in 2014)–but I might wait for 2016 stats to make sure, if you can: https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi