Hello! My husband and I are trying to decide a name for our baby girl. We are leaning toward [name]Isla[/name], but worry that her name is too similar to a friend’s daughter’s name, [name]Elsa[/name]. Are [name]Isla[/name] and [name]Elsa[/name] too similar? Your opinion is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Too close for siblings, yes, but in your case, I don’t think they’re close enough to be a concern.
If its a close friend and its worrying you though, I might let your friend in on your name plans before the baby arrives.
I don`t think they are alike at all. The pronunciation is completely different even if the spelling looks similar. They also have such different feels and origins. I like both but wouldn´t worry one bit about seeming me-too ish. It never would have occurred to me to compare those names.
They look alike but they don’t sound alike. It’s similar to [name]Amy[/name] and [name]Mya[/name] - I think they would be too close for siblings due to having all the same letters, but as friends, they wouldn’t get confused because they sound completely different. I love [name]Isla[/name]!
I don’t even think that friends having children with the same name is an issue, really, so [name]Elsa[/name] and [name]Isla[/name] certainly don’t sound too close to me!
I agree with the others–for sisters, I think [name]Elsa[/name] and [name]Isla[/name] would be too close, but as the children of friends? Completely usable!
I love the name [name]Isla[/name]. Not too close at all!
I find them too close, mainly because I can see people mispronouncing [name]Isla[/name] as is-luh instead of eye-luh, which is what I do. I always read it as is-la and so now I don’t bother fixing it… if I met an [name]Isla[/name], I would sadly probably call her is-luh about 5 times before I get it right.
They’re probably too similar for siblings but I don’t see why it should matter if it’s close to your friend’s daughter’s name. Not to be a cynic, but friends can come and go, but your daughter will always be your daughter.
I don’t think they are too similar. Totally different pronunciation and I think in most cases [name]Isla[/name] has enough exposure that people would know how to pronounce it … but maybe that’s because I read too much of the Hollywood gossip pages. 
First, I thought you were talking about siblings. Second, I thought it was [name]Elsa[/name] and [name]Ilsa[/name]. I was prepared to cry NO, but, obviously, it’s about your child and your friend’s child and the names are [name]Elsa[/name] and [name]Isla[/name] which (while close in spelling) are so different in pronunciation that I don’t think it matters at all!
I probably wouldn’t want to use [name]Elsa[/name] if my friend named her child [name]Isla[/name]. [name]Even[/name] though they don’t sound anything alike, I dunno, it just seems unoriginal given your situation.
Thank you all for your input! Based on your answers, it sounds like it’s ok to use [name]Isla[/name]. Thanks for your time!