Viola

Did you know?

A few things about Viola you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Viola

Viola Davis

American actress and producer (born 1965)

Choose Viola and your child shares a first name with Viola Davis, an American actress and producer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Viola, like who?” Viola Davis's Wikipedia article is available in 80 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Viola Davis on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Nomoretitanic, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,506 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Viola, 247 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Viola would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryViola has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Violas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1908, when it ranked #42. Today it's #1,013, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowViola is 6.2× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 40,323 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 6,506.
• 🚀TrendViola has climbed 105 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,013. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedViola is most popular in Iowa, where it ranks #354, followed by Minnesota (#540) and Michigan (#553). It's in the top 1,000 in 12 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Viola means “violet”. Our records link it to Italian and Latin roots.

About the name Viola

Viola is a girl name of Italian and Latin origin meaning “violet”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with V and ending in “-ola”. US birth records list Viola for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked #42 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,013, with 247 babies.

Origin:Italian namesLatin names