Thoughts on Isla for baby girl name?

laurblum

I know there is a baby name board, but I don't know those people. I want your opinions.

So, DH and I have been tossing around a couple of names for our little girl, but nothing is jumping out at us. The front runners for the past few months have been Stella Gracie or Lennon Stella. A few weeks ago I don't know how or why but I started saying Isla James. Don't even ask me where James came from LOL! DH and I both like Isla for a first name and either James or Gracie for the middle name. My question for you ladies is do you think pronunciation will be a problem? The S is silent like in the word island. Most people I think know that, but some people have commented that it looks like Is-La and have suggested spelling it Ayla. I don't really love that idea. I like traditional spelling of names. I wanted a name that was a normal name, non traditional but not strange. I think this fits, but the pronunciation thing is bothering me. I don't want her to have teachers make the mistake year after year. I feel like Isla is becoming a more popular name, but you still don't heart too often. So, give me your thoughts on the matter and while you're at it if you want you can weigh in on Isla James vs Isla Gracie. Last name starts with W and is 2 syllables. 

awc1986

Personally I think Isla has been used to death in recent years. It's a pretty name, but if you want 5 girls to come running when you shout her name then it's up to you. It's going to end up getting dated pretty soon. 

I like Stella Gracie. A Streetcar Named Desire is my favourite movie, so I just think "STELLAAAAAAAAA!!!".

laurblum

@awc1986 Really? I haven't experienced that yet. I have only met one Isla in my entire life and that was about a month ago. Crazy!! But I will consider the becoming "dated" thing. I definitely don't want that.

spacepotatoes

I like Stella, too. I think Isla is pretty but I'd probably have to confirm the pronunciation it if I saw it on an attendance sheet. Ayla looks more like "eh-la" (as in the Canadian-style, "damn snow again, eh?") to me.

If you do go with Isla, I like James as a middle name.

awc1986

laurblum said:

@awc1986 Really? I haven't experienced that yet. I have only met one Isla in my entire life and that was about a month ago. Crazy!! But I will consider the becoming "dated" thing. I definitely don't want that.

Sorry, I didn't mean it in a rude way. It's one of the most popular newborn names around at the moment, especially where I live in the UK. There isn't a street without an Isla on it. DH rolls his eyes whenever he hears someone call their child that in the street. Perhaps its different where you are?

Like I say, I like Stella.

alphalyrae

Isla = Eye-La
Ayla = A-La
 
Both are pretty in my opinion but pronounced differently.

spacepotatoes

Just thinking about the middle names again, Grace rather than Gracie would go very nicely with both Stella and Isla.

krlovell

So I'll be just the opposite and say Stella is beyond common and almost to the point of being overused where I am. I honestly have never heard the name Isla before the being on the bump. It's completely my style, sounds old but modern and as I said no one that I've ever known has had or used that name. I say go for Isla, I really like it. But you lost me with the James lol. Isla is feminine and James is very masculine. So I'd stick with Isla Grace perfect compromise of both names. IMO. Good luck names are hard!

chillypenguin

I like Isla, but I know in my circle of family/friends, they would totally butcher the pronunciation. I know it's becoming more popular, but it's not super common in my area. I have an Ella Grace, so I could never use Isla because it's a little too close.

julesf817

I've never met and Isla, nor do i know a single person who plans to name their baby Isla. It's definitely not a popular name in this area, as far as i know (i live in the Boston area). i also didn't actually know how it was pronounced, i would have said Is-la.

I actually really like it though, and i like the way it's pronounced. I do think she'd spend some time correcting people, but maybe if it gains some popularity it won't be an issue.

Stella is WAY more popular where i live, i've met several Stellas.

i think using James for a middle name for a girl will make it sound like she has two last names. and honestly i'm not a fan of Gracie as a middle name because i think Gracie sounds like a nickname and Grace is such a beautiful name.  

laurblum

@awc1986 I didn't take it as you being rude at all! No worries! Yes, maybe it's different in the UK? I live in Maryland and I rarely hear it. 

@spacepotatoes I actually prefer Grace over Gracie too. DH is the one who loves Gracie and always corrects me when I say just plain Grace. LOL! 

@kriovell I thought the same thing, that maybe Stella was becoming over used.. but I do still like the name anyway. I only know a handful of Stellas currently, but I feel like it's starting to gain popularity. 

typeset

I'm against names requiring pronunciation keys on principle. 

ehowa499

I have a friend who just named her little girl Isla. I think it's a beautiful name. People did ask how it is pronounced, but I don't think it's a really big deal. I love Isla Grace

meck716

I only know one Isla - my 1 year old niece. Her name is Isla Kenzie. At first when they texted her picture I didn't know how to pronounce it because I had never heard it before. It's such a pretty name though.

sparklingdiamond

I have actually never seen the name before, so I thought it was pronounced Is-La.  I think it is a pretty name though.

laurblum

@savannah_girl Yes, I share your opinion on Gracie vs Grace. I am not one for someone's formal name being a nickname. Unfortunately DH loves it. He could be convinced otherwise, I guess, but I feel bad because I already have way more say in the name debate as it is. He wanted to name her Zoey, but I vetoed it because a good friend of mine had a daughter named Zoey who died. But that was like the only name he wanted. I thought I'd give him his way for the middle name since it isn't used as much. We'll see though.

mrstengallonhat1

Isla and Stella are both on my short list for this LO.  I think I prefer Isla Grace or Stella Grace from the options you listed.  I think Stella is significantly more popular (in my area, at least) than Isla, but if that doesn't matter to you, go for it!  Either way, I think you can't go wrong here.

CopperPoppy

I like isla grace. I would not make Gracie her middle name. She won't be a child forever.

I also like Stella. Lennon is a last name and more suitable for a boy IMO.

As far as popularity goes isla made top 4 last year. So yes it has become more popular. However, the top name is only used for like 5% of newborns. So that works out to about 1 in 20 which is about the size of a classroom. Think about how many Ryan's and Jessica's you had in one class growing up. It just depends on how you feel about hearing your kids name on other kids. She won't be the only isla in her school.

Arinias

I like Isla Grace. But I have not really heard the name and would have pronounced it wrong. That being said I think it is really pretty the way it is pronounced. It is just up to you how much of an issue correcting pronunciation is. We are naming our son Tobias, and to me it is pronounced as spelled but we have still had to correct people on it. I do also really like Stella Grace and while I hear the name Stella I do not find it to be overly common either. I also do not find Gracie to be that bad for a middle name either if your DH is really set on it. I think James is just to strong for a girl's name personally, like PP said unless it is associated with something. My mom's middle name is Williams because it is a family name, I always thought it stunk she got stuck with it.

SweetTea420

I think it's pretty but when I first saw it I wasn't sure how to pronounce it. It isn't a common name where I live.

talkthewholetime

It's definitely gaining popularity. And looking at name trends, if it's popular in the UK, it will be even more popular here soon. That said, if you like it and it's your favorite name, that shouldn't deter you. Both Isla and Stella are very pretty names. I don't think pronunciation is a problem, but then again I've seen it. And I know Islas spelled Isla and Ayla. (Although I know Aylas pronounced "isla" and "a-la")

Gracie isn't a name, in my opinion, it's a nickname. I agree with the PP who said she won't be a child forever. Does James have any significance? Otherwise I think she's going to get asked A LOT of questions about it and get pretty sick of saying "because my mom liked it". I'm a big believer in middle names having some kind of significance. 

TaylorHam86

I've never encountered any Isla's in NC, so I wasn't sure how to pronounce it. If you're ok with her possibly having to correct people her whole life, then do it. I like Isla James, if there's some significance to James. If we have a daughter after this LO, her name will be Grace Alexander - the boy version because she'd be named for my brother. Otherwise, if there's no real reason, I'd go with Isla Grace.

If you don't want to fight the pronunciation battle, my vote is with Stella Grace. I also don't know any Stella's, and I absolutely love that name too. Stella would be my next choice for a girl.

Your husband can still call her Isla/Stella Gracie if he wants to. It's just paperwork, but I think Grace sounds better suited to grow up with.

Good luck!

Emmagk

Isla is actually top of our list! If this baby is a girl she will probably be Isla Cathryn (yes that's a real

 way to spell Cathryn, it's just not very common. It's also my MN). I think Isla Grace is a beautiful combo. 

Isla is very popular in the UK right now, fairly popular in Canada and gaining in the US. So hopefully LOs wont spend their entire life correcting the pronunciation. 

SMM1986

I like Isla. I didn't know how to it when I first saw it though. I've never met an Isla.

yvanehtnioj

I think Isla is an awesome name & people who would pronounce it "Iz-la" have obviously never heard of something called an island and that's their problem

FWIW it's not common near me.

andoll8

I'm from GA, so I'm very familiar with "Isla" and pronouncing it. It's more of an old-fashioned name, so I'm a big fan. The only people named Isla that I know are my grandmother's age, and I love the comeback of that generation of names. 

Isla Grace has a very nice and sweet ring to it.

CamrynnsMommy

I love Isla! Not necessarily fond of it with James or Gracie, but I do love Isla Grace.

Isla was on our short list, but spelled Ila after my great-grandmother.

I also don't know a single Isla, but two baby girls in my circle have been named Lennon recently.

mamagerman

Like PP have said, I would go with a MN Grace rather than Gracie..but to each their own. 

apinkpelican

I like Isla Grace or Isla James (would like James even more if it had some family significance to you).

I didn't know how to pronounce Isla until recently (I thought IS-LA) as I have heard it used by a couple people I know.  I don't think it's been overdone yet though!   We are still struggling with names too.  Both of the ones we like are becoming more popular (EX: Lillian after my grandmother).  But at some point I say you can't care too much about how popular it is if you really love the name for your LO.    I grew up with several friends with the same name and I wasn't ruined   

Good Luck and update us when you choose!

sisterjanet

yvanehtnioj said:

I think Isla is an awesome name & people who would pronounce it "Iz-la" have obviously never heard of something called an island and that's their problem

FWIW it's not common near me.

The first time I saw it I thought it was pronouced like ease-la, the same as the spanish word for island. 

OP, "a normal name, non traditional but not strange" seems like a mythical unicorn name, but maybe my imagination is just shorting out at the moment. 

I wouldn't go with Lennon at all, personally, but if I did it would be more likely for a boy.  I have a peeve about using traditionally boy names on girls (gestating my second son and struggling what to name him may have something to do with that...) so I wouldn't do James as a middle name for a girl, but if you don't have that peeve then please yourself.  Isla or Stella, both are fine, but Stella will be easier for everyone she meets, in the event they haven't met anyone named Isla before.  Also, I agree with everyone who says Grace is better than Gracie for the middle name.  Your husband can still call her Gracie, but then her drivers license and other official documents requiring a full name will look more grownup when she gets to that point.

jay3907

I thought about Isla Iguana from Dora the explorer immediately when I read the name of this post. Sorry

CamrynnsMommy

jay3907 said:

I thought about Isla Iguana from Dora the explorer immediately when I read the name of this post. Sorry

Its Isa (ee-sa) the Iguana...

laurblum

Thank you all. You guys are great! I let DH read some of your comments and he is now rethinking Gracie as the middle name. The one about her not being a child forever struck him so now I think he is worried that Gracie will sound young forever. 

Jillzy86

I like Isla and Stella I worked with early childhood for 9 years and haven't not come across either of these names. Spell Isla the traditional way. People will think you don't know how to spell if you spell it any other way.

ns1

I've honestly never heard of Isla. I really like it though, but I'll admit I would've said Is.la. I like James as a mn with it too! I think it's kind of a fun contrast (feminine and masculine).

spinsoffresonance

I love both Isla and Stella. I know how to pronounce Isla and , honestly, I would be a lot more confused about how to pronounce Ayla and wouldn't say it the same as Isla.

ETA the popularity of both Isla and Stella has been rising in the US but Stella was ranked #62 and Isla #230 in 2012. You can check the popularity of a name on the social security website ssa.gov

deanna1313

Love Isla! I knew how to pronounce it, but there will always be someone who gets it wrong. I think Ayla will always be pronounced wrong. Not sure about James or Gracie. I kind omf like James, but I feel like Gracie is a nickname and it should just be Grace.

Janniepp

I think Isla is a really pretty name but I do believe it is gaining in popularity around here (Nova Scotia). In the school I taught at last year there were two Islas in the kindergarten class. I think it may be destined to become a name like Ava(also pretty, but quite common)...but it is a lovely name and I do think it goes quite nicely with Grace.

KBowen715

I like Stella. I like Isla as well, but agree it is gaining steam in popularity (I live in Dallas).

I like 'boy' names paired with really girly names.