Viola
Viola was the 1015th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 247 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 42nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,331). Over the last ten years it has moved up 259 places. More babies were named Viola in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning violet · Latin, Italian
Say it vy-OH-luh /vaɪˈoʊlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,015 girls, up 104 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 247girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19184,331 babies
- Total since 1880
- 133,427babies recorded
What does the name Viola mean?
Viola is the Latin word viola 'violet', as DMNES and Wiktionary note; the musical instrument's name is unrelated, from Italian viola. Shakespeare gave it to the heroine of Twelfth Night, but DMNES points out that the name was in use before the play. It was common in the US in the 1890s and 1910s. Viola Davis is a well-known bearer.
viola (Latin, “violet”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Violet, Yolanda, Violetta.
See also: Latin names, names that mean flower.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Viola', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Viola', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Viola
The usual nicknames for Viola are Vi. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Viola in the last five years, 4 were named Vi, against 38 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vi · also for Violette, Violet, Vivian | Traditional | #14,813 | 50 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Violas go by each one.
Viola popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 434 since 1889.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,015 | 247 |
| 2020 | #1,119 | 216 |
| 2010 | #1,768 | 117 |
| 2000 | #3,118 | 45 |
| 1990 | #2,233 | 58 |
| 1980 | #1,242 | 106 |
| 1970 | #883 | 151 |
| 1960 | #474 | 428 |
| 1950 | #311 | 624 |
| 1940 | #190 | 966 |
| 1930 | #116 | 2,161 |
| 1920 | #59 | 4,292 |
| 1910 | #48 | 2,090 |
| 1900 | #49 | 1,674 |
| 1890 | #68 | 697 |
| 1880 | #94 | 229 |
How popular is Viola, counting every spelling?
Viola has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #975 for girls in 2025, against #1,015 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Viola?
247 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Viola (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Viola 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 34 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Viola.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Viola?
About 20,500 people born in the US named Viola are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 46 and 82. That makes Viola 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.
Viola by state
How common Viola was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (3.1×), Minnesota (2.8×), Missouri (2.5×), Michigan (2.3×), Pennsylvania (1.9×). In 22 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Viola: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Viola, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Viola · Sibling names for Viola
Questions about the name Viola
What does Viola mean?
Viola means “violet” (Latin, Italian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Viola?
Viola was the 1015th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 247 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 42nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (4,331). Over the last ten years it has moved up 259 places. More babies were named Viola in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Viola a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Viola in the US.
Where is Viola most popular?
In 2021–2025, Viola was most common in Wisconsin (0.44 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and Missouri.