Girl · #6,666 in 2026

Ola

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.

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.

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.

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

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. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 755 Olas were born — ranking #240 that year. As of 2026, Ola ranks #6,666 for baby girls 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

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OH
PA
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Top 10
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No data

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?
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.
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.

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.