Girl · #6,666 in 2026

Ola

Name: Popularity of the name Ola in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Ola, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Ola is an Arabic feminine given name that means "surmount", "high", and "arise". It is also a common shorthand name in Norway and Sweden, and in Polish it is a diminutive form of feminine given names Olga and Aleksandra.

Norwegian
Swedish
Polish
Yoruba

Current Rank

#6,666

Peak Rank

#140 (1921)

Total Babies

30K

5-Yr Trend

+20%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1921

Peak Year

#140

Peak Rank

30K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ola

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Norwegian
Swedish
Polish
Yoruba

The Story of Ola

Ola first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 67 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1921: 755 births, good for #240 nationwide. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 22% of all recorded Olas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #6,666 among baby girl names with 17 births, rising sharply (+20% over the past five years). In total, more than 30K Olas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Ola

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ola. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Ola

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ola is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ola

What does the name Ola mean?

What is the origin of the name Ola?

Ola has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Norwegian, Swedish, Polish, Yoruba.

How popular is Ola in 2026?

In 2026, Ola ranks #6,666 among girls' names in the U.S., with 17 babies given the name that year.

When was Ola most popular?

Ola reached its peak popularity in 1921, ranking #140 that year with 755 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Ola most popular?

Ola has historically been most popular in Alabama, Georgia, Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ola.

Is Ola a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Ola is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Ola?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ola include Angie, Patty, Adrienne. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Ola?

Common variants and related forms of Ola include Olaf, Olav, Ole, Olle, Olof, Olov. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Ola

Ola is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 30K births in the dataset. Ola's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #140. Use the chart and map above to compare Ola's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.