Baby Name...just Go for It?

If you're worried about folks mispronoucing her name, can't you just spell it phonetically, like "Ayla"?

I understand that Isla is a Scottish name, pronounced EYE-la. However, be prepared for most people to pronounce Isla (pronouced EES-la) as a Spanish name. America has a lot more people of Spanish-speaking descent than Scottish descent.

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I think it is a beautiful name. I'm glad you wrote its phonetic pronunciation because I'm a Spanish teacher and assumed it would pronounced ee-sla - the way it is in Spanish (and means island). That said, my children both have Scandinavian names that are often mispronounced. We just have them correct people when they say their names wrong. I think it is a subtle way to build character in children - teaching them to speak up for themselves. Teach her to respond with a smile and to warmly and enthusiastically explain why her parents lovingly and thoughtfully chose the name for her. It's also a conversation starter!
K.

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People mispronounce my daughter's name all the time. We read a website that has a survey people with the name can take (http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/suitability_of_I...) and decided to go with it anyway.

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I haven't read the other responses, but I've found that so far, most people hear our little men's names before they see their names written. I think that if you like the name, go for it! And once people know how to pronounce her name, they will not forget it. It's unique and wonderful.

By the way, once of my favorite bloggers has a daughter named Isla. I never thought to pronounce it any other way.

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I thought of Isla Fisher, the actress. pretty name, and if you love it, go for it. our baby girl, after two boys, is Lyla and we had a similar concern, but only once has it been pronounced wrong

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I think most people will know how to pronounce it the right way! Don't let that sway you away from a name you love. I personally LOVE this name. I wanted it so badly for my last baby (who's now 8 mo) but my husband wasn't having it :( I still sometimes look at my daughter and try and picture her as an Isla. Its such a beautiful name!!

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I love it!! Who cares what people think? There will always be people who don't like your child's name. I totally get it and know how you feel, but I say go for it! I think it's beautiful.

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she might not have a bad time explaining it, "its like island", its quite cute and unique.

my daughter has to explain her name to people, her name is Gwendolynn, a lot of people drop the g, or say it odd, i wouldnt have let it stop me from naming her that

i say go for it

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I love love love that name. But when I chose my daughters name I tried to get a name that would be on stickers, keyrings, mugs, etc. I realize that sounds ridiculous, but when I was younger stickers were huge (early-mid 80's). My name, J., was the most popular name at the time. It was impossible to find anything with my name on it that wasn't sold out....very frustrating back then. But then again, who the heck wants a name everyone else has? Go with your first instinct, your gut, which sounds like it is saying "Isla".

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That is a beautiful name, a coworker of mine just used it recently. I think she will have to spell it a lot and correct people, but that can happen with phonetic names too. For example, my name is C. and it is pronounced completely phonetically, so simple, yet people try to make it complicated by making up pronunciations, crazy ones sometimes! And I often have to spell it. I'm fine with it though. I say go with it if it is your number one choice and you'd regret not using it. Or if you are concerned or easily irritated by having to correct people, you could do a similar sounding name like Lila?

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It's a pretty name, but you have to look at the facts. She will go through life telling everyone how to pronouce her name. No one will have any idea that the "S" is silent. WHen I saw it pronounced it just like it looked.

Have you considered spelling it a different way so it looks like it sounds? Eila maybe? I wanted to name my daughter Emersen. Everyone always wanted to spell it Emerson. I prefer "en", but I had to look at it from my daughter's point of view. I didn't want her correcting everyone for her entire life. I envisioned her always having to say "en" not "on". She's 19 months old and sure enough everyone spells it with an "on". I honestly didn't feel like correcting everyone all the time myself. Very glad I didnt' go with en.

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Hi K.,

I have a friend who named her daughter Isla, I love it and they don't have problems with it being pronounced incorrectly. Isla is now 7 and loves her name.

Go with it, I think it is a great name. And one that we have thought of for our daughter : )

Good luck.

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Haven't read all the responses but 'isla' is island in Spanish and is pronounced ees-la. Hence you probably will have a lifetime of correcting ahead of you.

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uh-oh, I thought it would be pronounced EEs-la.

I do like the way you pronounce it and how it sounds with Grace. :)

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We liked a lot of names that sounded different than they are spelled (mostly Irish names) and we opted away from them. We were worried that it would always be mispronounced and I guess we could have corrected people but I didn't want our son to be doing that for the rest of his life too. Although it sucked because we're Irish and some of them were awesome, we're happy that we made that choice. I should mention though that our last name is always mispronounced and two mispronounced names are too much for a little guy:) But I know how hard it is to come up with something that matches your other kids, sounds good with a last name, is unique and special, etc. so if you like it that much, maybe just go for it!

The other thing is that when I was younger they NEVER had anything with A. on it and I hated it!!! Now my step-daughters, Emory and Ryleigh, can never find anything (stickers, pens, keychains, etc.) and they hate it too...it sounds corny but something to consider.

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Ok so I mispronounced it. I admit it. LOL. But once I read how it's pronounced it's a very pretty name. My opinion/experience with this is, if you don't mind correcting your daughter's name, niether will she.
I have a difficult last name and have had to correct people my whole life. I actually get a giggle out of what they will say, and I also came up with a saying to help people with it, which in turn gets them to laugh. It's a total ice breaker.
I will tell you one more thing of having an unusual name. As hard as it is to pronounce most people only call me by my last name. When I correct them in my funny way, it sticks, and they forget about my first name (which is very plain and popular). The only ones who call me by my first name, are people I haven't known for very long, my boyfriend, and my inlaws =)
If you like it I say go for it! Good Luck!

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I thought of Isla Fisher and she pronounces the 'S', or La Isla Bonita, Madonna song also with an 'S'. I love diff names but don't love when there are 2 ways of saying it. My GF named her daughter Ciara. Most people read it and think it is pronounced (see-arr-ah) but it's actually the Irish spelling of(K-eer-ah) Kyra. If people didn't see the spelling they always mispelled her name if they see the spelling they always pronounced it wrong. Her daughter is in college now and it still bothers her. My dad was named Amedeo, sounds like it is spelled no one could say his name right so he gave himself a nickname "Matty". Don't get me wrong I love the name with either pronunciation, just wondering how much your daughter will love correcting people?

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I think it is a very beautiful name! Go for it.

Also, I think I could be wrong, but I did think there was an actress with the name Isla... Isla Fisher ? I think she is married to that Bruno guy. She is VERY pretty though if I have the correct name.

Congratulations on Baby!!

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Isla is pretty, but consider that (just like you did in your email) your daughter will have to tell EVERYONE how to pronounce it when they see it and how to spell it when they hear it. She will constantly be called wrong by teachers, etc. Since it does mean island, it is traditionally pronounced 'Is-La', which will add to the confusion. Might be frustrating. Just a thought...

she will spend her entire life correcting people, it will get real old.......sorry, no go for me :(

It is beautiful - I have never heard it before but I love it! Go for it!

I like it, though I may be pronouncing it differently in my head, is there maybe another way to spell it to avoid the mispronunciation? Is the 's' silent, like in the word Island, or is it pronounced, so the beginning is like "Ice-la"? Either way, I love it paired with Grace.

I went by my middle name for years... Leilani... (pronounced Lay-lonnie), I had to correct and remind people whom I first met, but it didn't bother me too much, but sometimes got annoying... which is one reason why I don't go by it anymore.

If you love the name, I'd go for it, but I wanted to share our experience. We named our daughter Ayanna, pronounced with a soft a...a-yawn-a. She's 9 and her best friend of many years can't say it correctly, all her teachers, despite many reminders, have gotten it wrong. No one ever gets it on the first try and we always have to repeat it over and over again. She's either i-yanna or a hard A sound, A-yanna. I love her name, we choose it for many reasons, but it does bug her that no one can pronounce it correctly.

I think it is a beautiful name! Would it bother you if you always had to tell people how to pronouce/spell it?

But what is the "correct" or "incorrect" pronunciation? One baby name site claims the "s" is pronounced:

"The girl's name Isla \i-sla, is-la\. Name of a Scottish river."
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Isla

You will be correcting people always, and so will she.

I love the name and think it is beautiful. If you love it, it will fit her perfectly. I will throw out 2 things to think of:

1. Think of a different example besides "island" to explain the silent "s". The fact that isla means island in spanish (and even most non-spanish speaker know this) makes it a very confusing example and may even reinforce the mispronunciation. (However, i can't come up with a silent "s" that isn't at the end of a word... sorry)

2. You have to be OK with the fact that at some point she may just decide to use the mispronunciation as her name. My name is commonly mispronounced (not as badly, though) and I have gotten to the point that I just introduce myself with the "wrong" pronunciation because I'm tired of correcting and re correcting people and the ensuing confusion and social awkwardness. So by now, the only people that say my name correctly are family and old old old friends.

Congrats on the new little one!

You might spell it Aisla, so that the "s" is silenced... but it is still the same name. I think it is a beautiful name, and not one that she will hear every time she turns around. go for it!

Someone asked about this name a while back. I too think of Isla Fisher, and she's beautiful! We almost used Ayla. I love the name! And I grew up with Tiara, no one knew how to say or spell it (it's Tee-air-uh), but i love isla! There is the fact that she won't find her name on anything but it's pretty and you can order a lot of things personalized now.

If it were my child I wouldn't touch it; we have a last name that people always stumble over, and I wouldn't want to saddle a child with TWO stumbling-block names. But if you both like it, think about whether you want to spell it more phonetically ("Eila"), decide one way or the other, go for it and make your daughter proud of it!

It's a beautiful sounding name. Is a more phonetic spelling a possibility? It is unusual but if you love it, why not? If your daughter hates it she can go by Grace.

How is it pronounced?
IS-la
I-sla
or
E-sla
I've never heard of it before, quite honestly, but it is unique.
Congrats!

I grew up with an Isla, and I do not recall any teachers mispronouncing it. If you like the name, if it feels right, go for it.

You've had a lot of responses, but I just wanted to let you know that I know 2 adorable Islas. One is a newborn and one is 4. I think it's getting to be more popular, which would lead to more people knowing how to pronounce it. I also say go for it. I have a son named Brennan. When someone reads his name, they can easily pronounce it. But when I tell someone his name, they often say "Brenden." So, our kids would have the reverse problem, in that someone can easily pronounce it when you tell them, but will probably have to be corrected the first time they read it. I think it's a beautiful name, and if it's the only one you can agree on, all the more reason to use it. Congrats on your pregnancy!

If you like the name pronounced "Eye-la" then perhaps you should spell it Eyla. When I first read the name, I thought it was either pronounced "Esla" or "Isla" (because certain languages pronounce the I like an E). But I did not expect the s to be silent.

People ALWAYS call my daughter Kaetlyn when her name is Kaelyn, no T in her name. And we didn't think it would be so difficult to tell people her name, but it is. She is good at correcting them and so are we. We love the name and if you live Isla (which I think is gorgeous) then go for it!!

I know a woman with a name pronounced "Eye-la," but she spells it Ihla. Maybe you could change the spelling or spell it more phoenetically? You could name her Isla Grace and then you/she would always have the option of going by Isla or Grace. Good luck.

Great name! I think, for the most part, most people will pronounce it correctly--but guys and some older people might not! My husband was the same way...we were going to name our baby Samina and he was worried that people would call her Sa-mine-a!!

Anyway, my niece is name Isla Mae...I think that Isla Grace is beautiful! And I know how stressful and important/going with the other kids' names can be! Having two girls, Jaelyn and Rylie, flowed better than Jaelyn and Samina, because they are both unisex names!

Best of luck...just go for it!

LOL! I was totally pronoucing this in my head already before I even finished reading your question....and I WAS saying it wrong (IS-la). I have a girlfriend who is Muslim and was about to email her and tell her what a pretty name it would be for her future daughter.

OK, now back to the topic at hand. Its a BEAUTIFUL name. Surely, you will have to help people with pronoucing it for a while, but that adds even further to its uniqueness. BTW-my Muslim girlfriend has a tendancy to spell her children's name exactly how she wishes them to be pronouced, especially since Arabic names can be a little tricky for most of us. A little extreme, I know, but it does do the trick.

just go for it.
if you like, try an alternate spelling like ayla or something that might help pronounciation! :)

but just go for it. its not a big deal. for all you know, she might choose (as a rebelling teen or something) to use grace instead of isla anyway... so who knows . LOL.

Isla Grace is a very beautiful name! I think you ought to go with it!!

I knew an Ailya when i was a girl (same pronunciation). I think its a beautiful name, but people will always pronounce it wrong and spell it wrong. But since you both like it, go for it.

Isla, like Island in Spanish, pronounced "IS-la"? Isla Mujeres comes to mind for me....It's not to my taste. I have a very unusual name -it's common in Greece, but not here and I'm forever correcting people -that part does get very, very old. GL.

Gorgeous name! I say go for it. Plus the actress Isla Fisher has made it a bit more known recently :)

Just so you know Isla is one of the trendiest upcoming names. She probably won't have to tell people how to pronounce it because she'll be one of several Isla's in her class. I recently read an article about a person who was so disappointed that she named her daughter Isla and how she had no idea the name would be so trendy.

You have so many responses already, but I think if you like the name then go for it. But be prepared because I think it will be mispronouned a lot!

I love it! I know a girl named Iisley (Eye-ley)...once again...silent S. I think they're both adorable names, and I also think unique is good! : )

We know an Isla Grace. She's two and a little sweetheart. Beautiful name. Unique!!

You will get mispronounciations, people will say EES-la, but Isla is a beautiful name. Sounds wonderful with Grace. I'd go for it.

I think it's a great name. I assume you pronounce it as you would in Spanish, no? I say, just go for it if it feels right to both of you. We almost chose Grace for our daughter's middle name also. Lovely choices, I say!

So if the spelling is an issue, change it. Just spell it differently. You'll still get the name you love and she'll get a lifetime without, "Iss-La?, Ice-la?, Iz-La?"

I do think it's a lovely name, but for her sake you might want to alter he spelling a bit.

I know an Isla, but her parents chose to spell it Ailya. If you love it, Go for it!!

My daughter's name gets mispronounced all the time. (And it's Caroline, for goodness sake. Who knew? But apparently caro-lynn is an accepted pronunciation for that spelling, just like ees-la will be for Isla.) I hate having to make the correction. I also feel like she deserves to be called by her correct name.

I would suggest spelling it Ila if you really want to go with it. Ila Borders was a minor league pitcher. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ila_Borders

so use the name and change the spelling. ayela maybe. or ILA or go with lila or lisla. or maybe eyla. look for other spellings in the baby name book.

Just go for it! My name has been mispronounced my whole life - both my long name and my short name that I go by. I just correct people that say it wrong - plus I know that if someone calls me by the wrong name then I do not know them. And it always impresses me when someone gets it right!
J.