Given name & surname · also Latin
Viola
“resembling the purplishblue flower”
Viola brings together the violet flower and a Shakespearean heroine.
Original ItalianVioletta
Meaning & origin
What it means
Viola is a form of Violet. One French interpretation is “resembling the purplishblue flower.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
The name draws on Latin viōla, meaning “violet”.
The story
Shakespeare used Viola for the heroine of Twelfth Night. Its Latin flower meaning and its later association with the English flower name both form part of its appeal and naming history.
Viola through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 133,427
- 434 boys · 132,993 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 4,342 babies
- 2025
- 247
- #1,015 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 247 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,015 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 4,331 in 1918. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (17). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 24,135 as a first name in 2020; 6,247 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Viola’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Viola has an affectionate form in Lola. In Italian usage, Viola is a feminine form of VIOLO. Viola is a form of Violet.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Viola has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
14 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 25
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Viola
- Viola DavisAmerican actress and producer (born 1965)
- Viola AmherdSwiss politicianborn 1962
- Lynn CollinsAmerican actressborn 1977
- Viola Danaactress (1897-1987)
- Viola Myersathletics competitor (1927–1993)
- Viola DesmondCanadian activist (1914-1965)
- Viola BauerGerman cross-country skierborn 1976
- Viola Calligarisassociation football playerborn 1996
- Viola GoretzkiEast German rowerborn 1956
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Viola, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Verna
“woman from Verona” · “from the alder-tree grove”
>99% girls
Verona
“woman from Verona”
>99% girls
Pearl
“a precious gem of the sea”
>99% girls
Geneva
“of the juniper tree”
>99% girls
Antonina
Antonina is a variant of Antonia. In Latin use, Antonia carries the interpretation “priceless and highly praiseworthy; a flourishing flower.”
>99% girls
Lauretta
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Antoinette
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% girls
Adele
“of the nobility; serene; of good humor”
>99% girls