Illa
Illa was the 9711th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1926, when it ranked 983rd with 58 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 21 places. More babies were named Illa in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ila) Origin uncertain · Sanskrit
- Rank in 2025
- #9,711 girls, down 1,567 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 10girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192658 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,800babies recorded
What does the name Illa mean?
Illa is a spelling of Ila, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ila's meaning and origin.
Ila has more than one source. In India it is a Sanskrit name: Wiktionary records Ila as a girls' name from Sanskrit ila, a word with senses including earth and speech, and as the name of a figure in Hindu tradition who changes between man and woman. Ila was also an American girls' name in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Wiktionary lists a separate use as a boys' name, but no source consulted explains these older American uses.
इला (Sanskrit, “earth; speech; also a Hindu mythological figure”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The Indian name is Sanskrit; the origin of the older American name is not documented.
See also: Sanskrit and Indian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ila', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'इला', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Ila (Hinduism)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Illa popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,711 | 10 |
| 2020 | #8,144 | 13 |
| 2010 | #11,629 | 9 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #2,709 | 15 |
| 1940 | #1,208 | 37 |
| 1930 | #1,065 | 48 |
| 1920 | #1,487 | 30 |
| 1910 | #1,291 | 13 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Illa, counting every spelling?
Illa is a spelling of Ila, a name family that ranked #638 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #9,711 for Illa on its own. Together these spellings went to 454 girls in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Illa?
10 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Illa (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Illa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 831 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Illa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Illa?
About 600 people born in the US named Illa are alive today, with a median age of 72; half are between 11 and 83. That makes Illa a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Illa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Illa, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Illa
What does Illa mean?
The origin of Ila is uncertain: the Indian name is Sanskrit; the origin of the older American name is not documented.
How popular is the name Illa?
Illa was the 9711th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 10 babies. Its best year was 1926, when it ranked 983rd with 58 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 21 places. More babies were named Illa in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Illa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Illa in the US.