Ola
Feminine
Ola is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 29,651 girls against 624 boys since 1880. See Ola as a boy name
Ola is a short, open name that was common in the American South and Midwest in the late nineteenth century. It carries very different meanings in different places: in Yoruba it is 'honor' and 'wealth', and in Norway it is a man's name.
How old is the name Ola?
Ola was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ola alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. About 5,600 people named Ola are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ola most popular?
Ola peaked in 1886, reaching #140 nationally. Today it ranks #7885, 7,745 places below that high. See the whole 1886 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Ola
Ola was a familiar girls' name in the American record from its first years. Ola Babcock Miller was elected Iowa's secretary of state in 1932, the first woman to hold the office, and used it to create the state's highway safety patrol. In Yoruba ọlá, 'honor, wealth', opens dozens of names — Olamide, Olabisi, Olawale — and Ola is used on its own in Nigeria and among Nigerian families abroad. The spelling is recorded for a handful of American boys too, and in Norway it is a boy's name.
Meaningscholars disagree
A short form of names such as Viola or Leola; in Yoruba, 'honor, wealth'
In nineteenth-century America Ola was most likely a short form of longer names. In Yoruba ọlá means 'honor, wealth' and begins many names; in Scandinavia Ola is a man's form of Olaf. The spelling serves all three.
Pronouncing Ola
OH-luh
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1921755 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #140reached in 1886
- Change vs 2022
- +8.3%13 in 2025, from 12
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ola in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ọlá in Yoruba — related form
- Ola in Norwegian — same name
- Viola in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Michigan.
Olas among us
people named Ola are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 123,636 born in 2025 was named Ola
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Ola sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Ola beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ola in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Short, open and easy to say in any language.
- A long American history.
- Carries a warm meaning in Yoruba.
- In Norway and Sweden it is a man's name.
- People may assume it is a short form and ask for the full name.
- It reads as a nineteenth-century name in America.
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Ola
Feminine · #7885 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Olas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 5,600 people named Ola are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ola in 2025?
- Ola ranks #7885 among US girl names in 2025, with 13 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ola?
- About 1 in every 123,636 US girls born in 2025 was named Ola — 13 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ola with classmates?
- Ola will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ola
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Loula#7885 · Consuelo#7885 · Santa#7885 · Florentina#7885 · Marty#7885 · Jaye#7885 · Donya#7885 · Dollie#7885
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ola? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ola and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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