Shola
A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating montane grassland.
Meaning & Origin of Shola
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating montane grassland.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Shola
As a girl name
Shola first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1979, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1984: 9 births, good for #6,809 nationwide. About 66% of every Shola on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Shola last appeared in the published SSA data in 2019, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 32 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Shola as a boy name dates back to 1989, when 5 babies received it. 1989 was its biggest year on record, with 5 newborns named Shola — #7,906 in the national rankings. Shola last appeared in the published SSA data in 1989, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 5 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Shola
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shola 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 Shola
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About the name Shola
Shola is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1979 and has accumulated 32 births in the dataset. Shola's peak popularity came in 1984 when it ranked #6,809. Use the chart and map above to compare Shola's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1984 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.