Meaning and history
Islay is a Scottish given name taken from the Hebridean island of Islay, in Gaelic Ìle. The island name is ancient and its original meaning is uncertain; proposed Norse and pre-Celtic explanations remain debated. Islay is known culturally for Gaelic heritage and distinctive whisky production. As a personal name it is used for more than one gender and belongs to the tradition of Scottish place names. Prominent real-life bearers are uncommon.
20062006: 6 births, rank #15,152
2007: 6 births, rank #15,491
2008: 5 births, rank #17,504
2009: 5 births, rank #17,294
2010: 5 births, rank #16,992
20112011: 7 births, rank #13,347
2012: 12 births, rank #9,109
2013: no US SSA record for this spelling
2014: 8 births, rank #11,931
2015: 13 births, rank #8,447
20162016: 17 births, rank #6,901
2017: 14 births, rank #7,840
2018: 20 births, rank #6,010
2019: 37 births, rank #3,923
2020: 33 births, rank #4,169
20212021: 51 births, rank #3,157
2022: 51 births, rank #3,171
2023: 22 births, rank #5,549
2024: 31 births, rank #4,473
20252025: 24 births, rank #5,238
In 2025, 24 babies were recorded with the name Islay, ranking #5,238 among girls.