Despite its name, which can be translated in English as Females' Island, the town is located in mainland Sicily; the "island" the name refers to lies in front of the town territory, but it is not inhabited anymore. The etymology of the name is uncertain: a story claims the origins of the name from a females' only prison supposedly located in the island in the 1500s.
The town of Isola delle Femmine is sister cities with the town of Pittsburg, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The same fisherman statue that is in the town square in Isola can be seen in downtown Pittsburg with the names of the first settlers from Isola.