Is my name too popular?

Are you in Scotland OP? Here every other girl seems to be an Isla. Less common in the south I think

I love it. If I had a DD this is on the list, hence my mn nn. Unluckily I have secondary infertility and am in my 40s so it's unlikely to ever get used.

It seems to be quite popular, yes, but if you really love it then I think you should use it.

But speaking as someone with a more unusual name than most, like yourself, I do understand your reluctance.

Isla's definitely got a lot more popular recently.bBut if you really love it, then I'd use it anyway.

Also, just because it's number 15 nationally doesn't mean it'll be super popular where you live.

I've come across of 3 little Isla's where I live - but on the other hand, I haven't met a single Olivia, Jessica or Ruby, and they're all top 10 names.

we loved the name Isla but our surname is White so they didnt go well together !

It's lovely but very 'in' at the mo. My best mates 9 month old is Isla Summer.

No matter what, she will be your Isla and that makes all the difference.

But ... my son is a Jack , he is one of only a handful in his 500 strong school and that was a number 1 name for years. It depends on your area. I hardly hear his name round here.
So don't just rule out a name because of popularity that might not be the case or she could be one of 5 in her class ....

I would use Isla if that's the name you really like. My dd's name is not used much but when we do come across another everyone points it out.

Well my DD's name is Ava. This has been described as faddy, but we love it and no regrets. To with the name you love.

I love it, but I agree it's extremely popular at the moment. I am incredibly fussy about names (as my exasperated DH will confirm - naming our two DCs was a nightmare!) and one of my criteria was that the kid shouldn't be "date stamped" by their name. Unfortunately I'd personally feel that Isla has Early Twenty-Teens running through it like seaside rock. But I still like it as a name, and if I wasn't so unreasonably picky I'd possibly have used it myself.

Every toddler group we've been to seems to have an Isla or two!
It is a nice name, though.

I always loved having a more unusual name and would like daughter to feel the same.
Then, quite frankly, Isla's not the name for you.

If you decide that popularity/trendiness isn't a big deal, Isla is a pretty name and a perfectly nice choice.

Taking into account combined spellings, Isla only drops from 15th to 20th. Check out this excellent list: www.britishbabynames.com/blog/combined-spellings-2011-girls.html

serin, we had the same problem -- Isla was the girls' name both DH and I loved (this was just before it became wildly popular) but it isn't an option with DH's surname, which could well be the same as yours (nor does it sound good with mine, but on aesthetic grounds in that case).

The fact that names 'date' is not rubbish. When did you last meet a baby Dudley, Trevor, Kevin, Patricia, Barbara or Maureen?

Nothing wrong with those names, but our generation isn't exactly rushing to use them for their offspring - because they're dated to our ears. We may not necessarily use the word dated, we might think 'old-fashioned', 'middle-aged, 'frumpy', 'tired', 'dull', 'boring',* etc, etc. But the outcome is the same. The names are eschewed because they're not current, and have negative (not bad) associations.

I'm also not saying this is a reason for not picking a name you love. But like it or not, there are people out there who don't want their child to have a popular name for this exact reason. It sounds nice now, but won't forever. And when there are so many lovely names out there, it is very tempting to go for one that has more of a timeless, less-used quality about it.

*Disclaimer: I don't necessarily think these names are any of the adjectives I've listed, and can definitely see how some of them will be re-claimed in another generation or so, because they'll sound fresh to their ears. :)

I love the name Isla! I'd say go for it, does it matter that it's in the top 15 or whatever? It's a beautiful name.

I don't have kids (yet) but already have a mental short-list of names, I don't think I'd be swayed too much by where they are in the popularity polls.

Isla is very popular right now, but very nice in my opinion

It's a lovely name.

We spent our honeymoon on Islay and actually conceived our DD there

We would have loved to have called her Islay but it clashed badly with out surname.

Think along the lines of Isle of Man!

Isla is not faddy and I don't get the attitude that a name will date, it's rubbish! Maybe the makey uppy I so want to completely original names might date, but proper names do not date. People grow into their names imo. When did you last meet someone and think "that name is so dated"?!

Personally I know no islas nor have I heard of anyone using it.

So go for it and ignore the snootiness cause it's in the top 20! That's a v mn specific attitude imo.

It's a lovely name but it is very popular, and because it sprang out of relative obscurity right up to the top 20, rather than a slow climb, it's going to date quite a bit over the years. Is that a problem for you? Only you can decide.

If you want to stick with Scottish islands, what about Ailsa, Cara, Shona, Iona or Vaila? Or Muck if you want to go REALLY unusual...

My dd's name was no. 5 the year she was born and no. 1 the year after - I love it though, and we don't know many others!

If you love a name, go for it!

I know 2 Islas (one spelt Islay) one is a young teen, the other about 7. It's not that popular or faddy where I live.
I thought I was giving my DD a fairly unusual name, but in her tiny school and class of only 4 other girls, there is another with the same name..there's another a couple of years older and I know of at least 2 more local babies with the same name. Unusual - ha!
I think if you like a name, use it.

I named my ds Raphael which isn't popular. I then did a parentcraft session when he was 11 days old (showing couples how to change nappies/bath the baby etc) and two of the pregnant women there liked his name and used it. If I don't move and they don't move, there will be 3 in his class.

You never know.

I really like Isla. It's our back up name for DD because of the Scottish theme. What about Cara? It's just off Kintyre and means "dearest" in Gaelic.