Nola

What Nola means

Meaning not yet sourced. Wiktionary has no word-by-word meaning for Nola yet, and we don’t write our own.

Editor’s note Down from #769 in 2015 to #821 in 2025 in the US Worked out from the official US and England & Wales counts, not a meaning.

How popular is Nola?

US: Steady: #769 in 2015, #821 now. England & Wales: Rising: up from #583 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 1894, when 118 girls got the name (#249 that year). First in the US records in 1880.

How common

• About 1 in 4,856 baby girls in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 1,535 baby girls in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 1,627 baby girls in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in WV (1.38 per 1,000 girls), MS (0.67 per 1,000 girls), MO (0.62 per 1,000 girls) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed girls born in each state.

US vs UK

Nola is #821 in the US and #275 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (girls). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Nola were girls.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

Wiktionary only lists the US pronunciation so far.

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Nyla1,315 US · 220 E&W
• Nylah590 US · 108 E&W
• Nala317 US · 66 E&W
• Nayla225 US · 44 E&W
• Nila116 US · 64 E&W
• Naila118 US · 56 E&W
• Noella98 US · 12 E&W
• Nella60 US · 45 E&W

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Nola

Girls

• Gwen#725Same root as Wendy, meaning “watercourse with a bend + island”^*
• Ellis#682“benevolent, kind”^*
• Teagan#340Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1979, with 6 babies
• Alaina#224Form of Elon, meaning “oak tree”^*
• Rory#230“red-haired king”^*
• Gwendolyn#360Variant of Gwendolen, meaning “white, fair, blessed + ring, bow…^*

For a brother

• Rhys#410Welsh, from Old Welsh Ris, meaning “ardor, fiery warrior”^*
• Rowan#59“little red one”^*
• Kian#400Editor’s note Up from #489 in 2015 to #400 in 2025 in the US
• Alistair#897“to defend + man”^*
• Finn#206“the Sami”^*
• Declan#139Editor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #139 vs #372 in 2025

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under Irish & Celtic, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Nola’s. Rank is US 2025.