Fun Facts About the Name Nola
- More than 26 thousand babies named Nola: U.S. records list 26,267 babies given the name Nola from 1880 through 2025. Even 9 boys received the name Nola - about 1 boy for every 2,918 girls.
What Does the Name Nola Mean?
Nola is most often explained as an English-language form of the Irish name Nuala, a short form of Fionnuala. Fionnuala is built from the Irish elements fionn, meaning "white" or "fair," and guala, meaning "shoulder." Its literal sense is usually given as "fair shoulder" or "white shoulder." In this derivation Nola is a variant or anglicized spelling rather than a name with a separate etymology. The Italian town of Nola in Campania is sometimes mentioned as another influence on the given name, but its place-name origin is ancient and not securely explained, and it is distinct from the Irish personal-name meaning.
Nola Name History & Origins
Fionnuala is an old Irish name and the name of the daughter of Lir in the myth of the Children of Lir, who are transformed into swans by their stepmother. The tale is a traditional literary account, not a record of the name's earliest use. Irish speakers shortened Fionnuala to Nuala, and English forms of the name include Finola and Nola. The spelling Nola reflects English pronunciation and orthography rather than a change in the name's meaning. Nola has been used as a feminine given name in the English-speaking world; the Italian town of Nola, where the Roman emperor Augustus died in AD 14, is a separate place-name association. In modern popular culture, Nola Darling is the central character in Spike Lee's 1986 film She's Gotta Have It, but that literary use does not account for the name's origin. Some instances of Nola may be independent coinages or shortenings of other names, so the Irish derivation should not be assumed for every bearer.
How Popular is the Name Nola?
Nola recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2020. Its best rank was #254 in 1894.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #822 | 331 | 0.0206% |
| 2024 | #766 | 367 | 0.0227% |
| 2023 | #740 | 380 | 0.0237% |
| 2022 | #627 | 472 | 0.0288% |
| 2021 | #595 | 503 | 0.0307% |
| 2020 | #553 | 537 | 0.0332% |
| 2019 | #607 | 500 | 0.0298% |
| 2018 | #643 | 461 | 0.0271% |
| 2017 | #744 | 379 | 0.0220% |
| 2016 | #820 | 350 | 0.0198% |
| 2015 | #770 | 368 | 0.0206% |
| 2014 | #806 | 347 | 0.0194% |
| 2013 | #776 | 350 | 0.0199% |
| 2012 | #805 | 334 | 0.0190% |
| 2011 | #894 | 292 | 0.0166% |
| 2010 | #857 | 314 | 0.0177% |
| 2009 | #957 | 280 | 0.0152% |
| 2008 | #917 | 299 | 0.0158% |
| 2007 | #1,029 | 257 | 0.0134% |
| 2006 | #1,203 | 202 | 0.0106% |
| 2005 | #1,872 | 104 | 0.0056% |
| 2004 | #2,110 | 86 | 0.0047% |
| 2003 | #2,181 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2002 | #2,631 | 59 | 0.0033% |
| 2001 | #3,185 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2000 | #2,889 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1999 | #3,422 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1998 | #3,804 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1997 | #3,283 | 36 | 0.0021% |
| 1996 | #3,412 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1995 | #3,747 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #3,511 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1993 | #3,487 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1992 | #4,189 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1991 | #4,167 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1990 | #4,192 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1989 | #2,969 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1988 | #3,866 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1987 | #2,643 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 1986 | #3,108 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1985 | #2,784 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 1984 | #2,328 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 1983 | #1,766 | 61 | 0.0037% |
| 1982 | #1,732 | 65 | 0.0038% |
| 1981 | #2,001 | 53 | 0.0032% |
| 1980 | #2,520 | 38 | 0.0023% |
| 1979 | #1,852 | 58 | 0.0036% |
| 1978 | #1,703 | 62 | 0.0040% |
| 1977 | #1,629 | 65 | 0.0042% |
| 1976 | #1,928 | 47 | 0.0032% |
| 1975 | #2,153 | 40 | 0.0027% |
| 1974 | #2,121 | 39 | 0.0027% |
| 1973 | #2,337 | 33 | 0.0023% |
| 1972 | #2,121 | 37 | 0.0024% |
| 1971 | #1,485 | 69 | 0.0041% |
| 1970 | #1,513 | 66 | 0.0038% |
| 1969 | #1,254 | 80 | 0.0047% |
| 1968 | #1,361 | 68 | 0.0041% |
| 1967 | #1,368 | 65 | 0.0039% |
| 1966 | #1,054 | 99 | 0.0059% |
| 1965 | #1,094 | 92 | 0.0052% |
| 1964 | #889 | 137 | 0.0072% |
| 1963 | #980 | 118 | 0.0061% |
| 1962 | #868 | 148 | 0.0075% |
| 1961 | #855 | 155 | 0.0077% |
| 1960 | #793 | 168 | 0.0083% |
| 1959 | #627 | 252 | 0.0125% |
| 1958 | #853 | 144 | 0.0072% |
| 1957 | #804 | 159 | 0.0078% |
| 1956 | #670 | 206 | 0.0103% |
| 1955 | #671 | 195 | 0.0100% |
| 1954 | #589 | 236 | 0.0122% |
| 1953 | #545 | 255 | 0.0136% |
| 1952 | #559 | 240 | 0.0129% |
| 1951 | #529 | 249 | 0.0138% |
| 1950 | #521 | 247 | 0.0144% |
| 1949 | #558 | 223 | 0.0130% |
| 1948 | #580 | 210 | 0.0124% |
| 1947 | #527 | 252 | 0.0142% |
| 1946 | #527 | 222 | 0.0141% |
| 1945 | #473 | 231 | 0.0177% |
| 1944 | #459 | 245 | 0.0185% |
| 1943 | #431 | 291 | 0.0209% |
| 1942 | #457 | 263 | 0.0195% |
| 1941 | #411 | 279 | 0.0231% |
| 1940 | #425 | 259 | 0.0226% |
| 1939 | #408 | 273 | 0.0249% |
| 1938 | #350 | 337 | 0.0305% |
| 1937 | #378 | 294 | 0.0276% |
| 1936 | #367 | 300 | 0.0288% |
| 1935 | #375 | 286 | 0.0273% |
| 1934 | #360 | 307 | 0.0294% |
| 1933 | #384 | 281 | 0.0279% |
| 1932 | #370 | 301 | 0.0282% |
| 1931 | #371 | 300 | 0.0282% |
| 1930 | #382 | 322 | 0.0286% |
| 1929 | #372 | 328 | 0.0294% |
| 1928 | #376 | 330 | 0.0286% |
| 1927 | #359 | 361 | 0.0303% |
| 1926 | #417 | 268 | 0.0226% |
| 1925 | #415 | 279 | 0.0229% |
| 1924 | #379 | 320 | 0.0256% |
| 1923 | #375 | 312 | 0.0259% |
| 1922 | #361 | 335 | 0.0279% |
| 1921 | #374 | 324 | 0.0263% |
| 1920 | #379 | 306 | 0.0255% |
| 1919 | #348 | 343 | 0.0304% |
| 1918 | #325 | 390 | 0.0337% |
| 1917 | #358 | 307 | 0.0284% |
| 1916 | #355 | 301 | 0.0288% |
| 1915 | #334 | 320 | 0.0325% |
| 1914 | #350 | 227 | 0.0298% |
| 1913 | #337 | 205 | 0.0328% |
| 1912 | #316 | 211 | 0.0378% |
| 1911 | #307 | 168 | 0.0402% |
| 1910 | #306 | 158 | 0.0398% |
| 1909 | #275 | 172 | 0.0495% |
| 1908 | #295 | 144 | 0.0431% |
| 1907 | #294 | 142 | 0.0446% |
| 1906 | #298 | 125 | 0.0423% |
| 1905 | #296 | 127 | 0.0436% |
| 1904 | #266 | 140 | 0.0508% |
| 1903 | #271 | 131 | 0.0500% |
| 1902 | #272 | 131 | 0.0496% |
| 1901 | #313 | 93 | 0.0389% |
| 1900 | #289 | 129 | 0.0430% |
| 1899 | #283 | 106 | 0.0455% |
| 1898 | #278 | 122 | 0.0471% |
| 1897 | #342 | 74 | 0.0316% |
| 1896 | #280 | 108 | 0.0454% |
| 1895 | #266 | 111 | 0.0475% |
| 1894 | #254 | 118 | 0.0529% |
| 1893 | #279 | 90 | 0.0423% |
| 1892 | #337 | 62 | 0.0292% |
| 1891 | #285 | 78 | 0.0421% |
| 1890 | #327 | 60 | 0.0315% |
| 1889 | #288 | 69 | 0.0387% |
| 1888 | #329 | 54 | 0.0302% |
| 1887 | #288 | 55 | 0.0377% |
| 1886 | #289 | 51 | 0.0353% |
| 1885 | #328 | 39 | 0.0293% |
| 1884 | #338 | 34 | 0.0264% |
| 1883 | #329 | 30 | 0.0267% |
| 1882 | #292 | 37 | 0.0343% |
| 1881 | #282 | 32 | 0.0348% |
| 1880 | #340 | 23 | 0.0253% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | #3,069 | 9 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Nola
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with N
Unique Short Girl Names That Start with N
How the Name Nola Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a vivid imagination who can bring inspired messages to the world. You like to enjoy the pleasures of life, and when self is overcome, you can rise to the heights. You have an ability to avoid trouble - that is why you often fails to learn from experiences. You are restless, sociable people-oriented, a lover of change, and a seeker of adventure and new thrills. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Nola's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Nola's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.