Pola
Feminine · “Greek Apollon”
Pola Negri was born Apolonia Chalupiec in Poland, took Pola from her own first name and Negri from an Italian poet she admired, and became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The American name peaks in 1926, at the height of her fame.
How old is the name Pola?
Pola first appears in US birth records in 1911 — 114 years ago. The typical Pola alive today was born around 1953, making them about 72 years old. About 400 people named Pola are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Pola most popular?
Pola peaked in 1926, reaching #1667 nationally. Today it ranks #9457, 7,790 places below that high. See the whole 1926 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Apollon to Pola
The story of Pola
Apolonia Chalupiec was born in Russian Poland in 1897, trained as a dancer, moved into Polish and then German films, and was brought to Hollywood by Paramount in 1922. She was the first European star imported by an American studio and she was marketed as an exotic: the press covered her clothes, her temper and her romances relentlessly. The surname Negri she took from Ada Negri, an Italian poet. The name Pola entered the American record with her arrival and left with her career, which ended with sound; her accent, which had been an asset in publicity, was a liability on a soundtrack. The curve peaks in 1926 and falls away through the 1930s, which is the standard shape for a name carried by a single performer rather than by a story.
Meaning
Greek Apollon, the god Apollo
Pola is a Polish short form of Apolonia, the feminine of Apollonius, meaning belonging to Apollo. The god's own name has no accepted etymology and may not be Greek at all. Apolonia was borne by a third-century martyr of Alexandria who became the patron of dentists, which is why she appears in art holding a tooth. The American peak is 1926.
How the name formed
- Apollon
- Apollonia
- Apolonia
- Pola
Related forms: Apolonia · Paola
Pronouncing Pola
POH-lah
Two syllables, stress on the first. Polish says the same. It is easily confused in speech with Paula, which is a different name from Latin paulus, small.
Nicknames for Pola
Moderate
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
- 1911
- Most girls named
- 192625 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1667reached in 1926
- Change vs 2023
- +25.0%10 in 2025, from 8
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.
Pola in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Apolonia in Polish — related form
- Paola in Italian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Illinois, New York.
Polas among us
people named Pola are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 160,727 born in 2025 was named Pola
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Maurene test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Pola's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Maurene climbed just as high around 1904, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Maurene's path sketches the road Pola is walking now.
Pola 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
Pola beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Pola in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and two syllables, easy in any language.
- Apolonia is available as the formal version.
- The vowels are open and clear.
- Paula and Pola are constantly confused.
- It is closely identified with one silent-film star.
- The 1926 peak dates it to a single decade.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Pola to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Pola? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Pola
Feminine · #9457 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Polas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Pola are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Pola in 2025?
- Pola ranks #9457 among US girl names in 2025, with 10 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Pola?
- About 1 in every 160,727 US girls born in 2025 was named Pola — 10 in all.
- Will my child share the name Pola with classmates?
- Pola will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Pola
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Leta#9457 · Inga#9457 · Delphia#9457 · Cammie#9457 · Lisandra#9457 · Amee#9457 · Venecia#9457 · Annetta#9457
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Pola? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Pola and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle