A book for Isla — the name with a silent S and an island behind it

Where the name Isla comes from

Isla comes from Islay, the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides — in Scottish Gaelic, Ìle. The island's name is old and its meaning isn't settled; it has been linked to a personal name and to Norse and pre-Gaelic roots, but nobody can say for certain. What is certain is the pronunciation: islanders say "EYE-la", and the name Isla simply spells it the way it sounds. Scotland also has two rivers called the Isla, one flowing through Angus and Perthshire and another in Moray, so the name has always had a watery, landscape feel to it.

People often connect Isla with the Spanish word isla, meaning "island". It's a coincidence rather than a shared origin — the Spanish word is pronounced "EES-la" — but it's a happy one, since the Scottish name really does come from an island.

For most of the twentieth century Isla was a quiet, distinctly Scottish choice. That changed around the turn of the millennium. The name climbed steadily in Scotland until it was among the most popular names for baby girls there, and in England and Wales it rose into the top ten during the 2010s. Today it's familiar in every British classroom, yet it still carries that hint of sea air and heather that sets it apart from names that are popular simply because they sound pretty.

Islay itself is a place of peat bogs, long sandy bays, lighthouses and huge flocks of barnacle geese that arrive every autumn from Greenland. None of that is in the name's meaning, strictly speaking, but it's the picture many Scottish families have in mind when they choose it, and it's a rich one for a children's story: tides, seals on the rocks, a storm rolling in off the Atlantic.

The spelling is worth knowing about. Isla is by far the usual form, but you'll occasionally meet Islay used as a girl's name too, kept identical to the island. Some parents choose Isla partly because it can't really be shortened or misheard as anything else once people know the rule about the S — and partly because it works equally well for a toddler and for a grown woman signing an email.

Nicknames and ways to call Isla

• Isla — Most families use the full name every day — it's already short, so there's little to trim. In the book she's Isla throughout.
• Issy or Izzy — A playful nickname some siblings land on, even though it borrows the S the full name keeps silent.
• Lala — A toddler favourite, often born when a younger brother or sister first tries to say "Isla" and only the second half comes out.
• Isla-bug, Isla-belle — Affectionate home-made versions for bedtime and cuddles, rarely heard outside the family.
• Isla-Rose, Isla-Mae, Isla-Grace — Double-barrelled combinations are especially common with Isla, because a short two-syllable name pairs easily with a one-syllable middle name. If your Isla goes by the longer form, that can be the name on the cover too.
• Isla Bean, Isla-loo — Silly, rhyming versions that tend to appear in family songs and games — the kind of name a grandparent uses that nobody else is allowed to.