Lola
Lola was the 275th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,132 babies. Its best year was 1904, when it ranked 99th; the most babies were born in 1919 (1,617). Over the last ten years it has moved down 51 places. More babies were named Lola in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Dolores ('sorrows') · Spanish
Say it LOH-luh /ˈloʊlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #275 girls, down 38 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,132girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19191,617 babies
- Total since 1880
- 97,167babies recorded
What does the name Lola mean?
Lola is a Spanish pet form of Dolores; the Random House dictionary also allows it as a form of Charlotte. Dolores means "sorrows" and comes from the Marian title María de los Dolores, "Mary of the Sorrows"; Yonge's 1884 index gives the same gloss. Spanish pet forms of Dolores also include Lolita. In English-speaking countries Lola has long been used as a name in its own right, without reference to Dolores.
Dolores (Spanish, “sorrows (from María de los Dolores)”)dolor (Latin, “pain, sorrow”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Dolores, Lolita, Lolly.
See also: Spanish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lola', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Dolores' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dolores', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Lola', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Lola popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 275 since 1895.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #275 | 1,132 |
| 2020 | #237 | 1,262 |
| 2010 | #211 | 1,476 |
| 2000 | #1,317 | 145 |
| 1990 | #1,964 | 70 |
| 1980 | #989 | 150 |
| 1970 | #817 | 170 |
| 1960 | #483 | 412 |
| 1950 | #310 | 630 |
| 1940 | #203 | 867 |
| 1930 | #162 | 1,271 |
| 1920 | #147 | 1,580 |
| 1910 | #120 | 685 |
| 1900 | #114 | 584 |
| 1890 | #119 | 346 |
| 1880 | #117 | 138 |
How popular is Lola, counting every spelling?
Lola is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #291 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #275 for Lola on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,141 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lola | 1,132 | #275 | 5,881 |
| Lolah | 9 | #10,563 | 38 |
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 Lola?
1,132 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lola (0.31 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lola 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lola.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lola?
About 44,800 people born in the US named Lola are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 10 and 65. That makes Lola mostly worn by children and young adults. 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.
Lola by state
How common Lola was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.0×), Minnesota (2.2×), Montana (2.1×), Oregon (2.0×), Iowa (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Delaware, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lola: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lola, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lola · Sibling names for Lola
Lola is also a nickname for Lorelai, Lorelei and Dolores.
Questions about the name Lola
What does Lola mean?
Lola means “pet form of Dolores ('sorrows')” (Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Lola?
Lola was the 275th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,132 babies. Its best year was 1904, when it ranked 99th; the most babies were born in 1919 (1,617). Over the last ten years it has moved down 51 places. More babies were named Lola in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Lola a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lola in the US.
Where is Lola most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lola was most common in Utah (2.17 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and Montana.