my baby is due october...

[Makingdo]

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Makingdo, I'm scottish and would definitely not pronounce Ayla as eye-la (like portandlemon said to rhyme with taylor), though I would pronounce Isla as eye-la.

I don't believe anyone reading 'Ayla' would pronounce it as you do. I think you need to decide on a name which actually sounds as it reads.

Ayla is nice, but will be pronounced to rhyme with Taylor. Isla is pronounced 'eye la' which is what I think you are after.
Call her Ayla and spend the whole time correcting people's pronunciation if you like, but there are certain linguistic conventions and rules in the english language and almost everyone will see Ayla and say (t)aylor.
Mason is ok.

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You're right with Iona (lovely little Isle it is as well).

I like Iona,

Also wanted to say that my name has two different pronunciations and I get so fed up of correcting people that I often just let people pronounce it how they want.

When I was a child I used to get very upset if people didn't say it right.

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mason... NEVER NEVER NEVER come to Scotland with that name.

you'd get caught up in a load of celtic rangers stuff, no joke. it's v prevalent here, sectarian bigotry, you don't want to play in their hands. if he came up here to work or somesuch in later life, he'd hate his name, everyone would comment on it.

As for boys names I am a bit of a sucker for some very Scottish names
e.g. Hamish, Angus, Cameron

When I was looking I found the national statistics site very useful - they list the top 100 names for the last five years.
www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp
I found it useful because I didn't want a name that was too popular, although I still wanted something traditional. (We went with Robin in the end for our little boy.)

i can believe it, hana.

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nothing to do with liking football, believe me. it's a catholic/protestant thing.

Iona is lovely, Isla is lovely, Ayla is Taylor without a 't' & I really don't like it.

Xavier - no
I don't like this, is rather poncy

I would think Ayla was pronounced Ay-la not Eye-la.

I prefer Isla and Iona.

I don't like Mason I'm afraid, but then I don't like first names that sound like surnames, eg Taylor, Bailey, Mackenzie etc.

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That's what I was trying to say. The masonic thing is a dodgy area. I was even more when you said you were in scotland. It would mean much more there.