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.

# 620 in the US

Ila Rank in US Top 1000

# 1437 on Nameberry

Ila Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Ila

20 Names Similar to Ila

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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"

The name Ila in Nameberry Blog Posts