Yolanda
Masculine · “a form of Violante”
Yolanda is given to girls far more often — 112,918 girls against 537 boys since 1880. See Yolanda as a girl name
Yolanda is a Spanish name with a royal past, familiar to American families for generations. It has been carried in our time by a gospel star, and, in the Philippines, by a storm so terrible that the name was retired.
How old is the name Yolanda?
Yolanda first appears in US birth records in 1943 — 82 years ago. The typical Yolanda alive today was born around 1970, making them about 55 years old. About 400 people named Yolanda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Yolanda most popular?
Yolanda peaked in 1968, reaching #1614 nationally. See the whole 1968 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Violante to Yolanda
The story of Yolanda
Yolanda Adams, a former schoolteacher from Houston, became one of the best-selling gospel singers of her generation and carried gospel into mainstream radio with her own nationally syndicated show. The name also has a sadder modern life: in the Philippines, which gives typhoons local names, the great storm known elsewhere as Haiyan was called Yolanda, and after the devastation it caused the name was taken off the list for good. In America the name is recorded for a very few boys, but it is a woman's name everywhere.
Meaningscholars disagree
a form of Violante, often read as violet
Yolanda comes through Yolande from the medieval Violante; the link to Latin viola, violet, is a traditional guess rather than a proven origin.
How the name formed
- Violante
- Yolande
- Yolanda
Related forms: Yolande · Yolanda · Iolanda · Violant
Pronouncing Yolanda
yoh-LAHN-duh
Stress on the middle syllable.
Nicknames for Yolanda
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
- 1943
- Most boys named
- 196824 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1614reached in 1968
- Change vs 1989
- 0.0%9 in 1990, from 9
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.
Yolanda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Yolande in French — same name
- Yolanda in Spanish — same name
- Iolanda in Italian — same name
- Violant in Catalan — related form
Yolandas among us
people named Yolanda are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Yolanda sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a long, royal history.
- Yoli is a warm short form.
- It works in Spanish and English.
- Filipino families will remember the typhoon.
- Many associate it with an older generation of women.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Yolanda 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 Yolanda? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Yolanda
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Yolandas 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 Yolanda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Yolanda in 2025?
- Yolanda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Yolanda with classmates?
- Yolanda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More Y names
The most-given names starting with Y, all years combined.
Yahir#814 · Yusuf#449 · Yosef#663 · Yehuda#740 · Yousef#744 · Yisroel#824 · Yaakov#1024 · Yitzchok#910
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Yolanda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Yolanda 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