Rilla as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rilla

What is the meaning of the name Rilla ?

The baby name Rilla is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈrɪlə/ (RIL-ə).

Rilla is English in Origin.

Rilla is an English feminine name, most often a clipped form of Marilla, an elaboration of Mary. Through this link it can carry Mary’s debated meanings - “beloved,” or the poetic “drop of the sea/sea-star.” In 19th‑century North America it also appears independently, aligned with a vogue for -rilla names such as Aurilla and Amarilla; by echo with English rill “small stream,” some take Rilla to suggest a “little brook.”

Records show modest use from the late 1800s into the early 20th century, with renewed notice via L. M. Montgomery’s novel Rilla of Ingleside (1921), where the heroine’s full name is Bertha Marilla Blythe and Rilla serves as her preferred call name. Today it’s rare but ripe for revival. Variants and related forms include Marilla, Rillah, and diminutives Ril or Rilly; occasional spellings like Orilla and Aurilla appear in older records.