Viola
Viola is a feminine given name derived from the Latin viola, given in reference to the flowering plant species. The name is in common use in Italy. In Greece as Violeta. It is best known in the Anglosphere as a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
- English
- Italian
- Swedish
- Danish
Meaning & Origin of Viola
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Viola is a feminine given name derived from the Latin viola, given in reference to the flowering plant species. The name is in common use in Italy. In Greece as Violeta. It is best known in the Anglosphere as a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Italian
- Swedish
- Danish
- Finnish
- German
- Hungarian
- Czech
- Slovak
The Story of Viola
The earliest SSA record of Viola as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 229 babies received it. 1918 was its biggest year on record, with 4,331 newborns named Viola — #59 in the national rankings. About 25% of every Viola on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Viola ranks #1,135 for baby girls with 213 births, holding steady (+2%). All told, over 133K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Viola
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Viola. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Viola
Phonetically similar names — useful when Viola 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 Viola
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How popular is Viola in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Viola most popular?
Is Viola a unisex name?
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About the name Viola
Viola is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 133K births in the dataset. Viola's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #42. Use the chart and map above to compare Viola's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "V" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.