Yolanda
Yolanda was the 3248th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 49 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 89th; the most babies were born in 1969 (3,771). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,366 places. More babies were named Yolanda in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning violet flower (disputed) · Spanish, French, Greek
Say it yoh-LAHN-duh /joʊˈlɑndə/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,248 girls, down 618 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 49girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19693,771 babies
- Total since 1880
- 113,455babies recorded
What does the name Yolanda mean?
Yolanda is the Spanish form of a medieval royal name, Yolande, borne by queens of Aragon, Hungary and Scotland. DMNES derives it from Greek iolē 'violet' and anthos 'flower'. Wiktionary calls it of obscure, probably Germanic, origin, noting that it has been identified with Latin Violante and with the Greek words. Yolanda was popular in the US in the 1960s and 1970s.
ἴον (ion) (Ancient Greek, “violet”)ἄνθος (anthos) (Ancient Greek, “flower”)
How sure is this? Disputed. DMNES gives a Greek origin; Wiktionary considers it probably Germanic.
Related names: Yolande, Iolanthe, Violante, Viola.
See also: Spanish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Yolanda', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Yolanda', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Yolanda
The usual nicknames for Yolanda are Yoli.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoli | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Yolandas go by each one.
Yolanda popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 537 since 1943.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,248 | 49 |
| 2020 | #2,630 | 65 |
| 2010 | #1,620 | 134 |
| 2000 | #780 | 295 |
| 1990 | #390 | 672 |
| 1980 | #157 | 1,776 |
| 1970 | #106 | 3,591 |
| 1960 | #172 | 2,329 |
| 1950 | #179 | 1,567 |
| 1940 | #342 | 352 |
| 1930 | #359 | 351 |
| 1920 | #368 | 321 |
| 1910 | #690 | 39 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Yolanda, counting every spelling?
Yolanda has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Yolanda?
49 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Yolanda (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Yolanda 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 171 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Yolanda.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Yolanda?
About 91,000 people born in the US named Yolanda are alive today, with a median age of 57; half are between 48 and 66. That makes Yolanda a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Yolanda by state
How common Yolanda was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (1.9×), Texas (1.7×). In 46 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 Yolanda: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Yolanda, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Yolanda · Sibling names for Yolanda
Questions about the name Yolanda
What does Yolanda mean?
Yolanda is usually explained as “violet flower (disputed)”, but this is disputed. Certainty: disputed.
How popular is the name Yolanda?
Yolanda was the 3248th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 49 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 89th; the most babies were born in 1969 (3,771). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,366 places. More babies were named Yolanda in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Yolanda a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Yolanda in the US.
Where is Yolanda most popular?
In 2021–2025, Yolanda was most common in California (0.07 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Georgia.