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Viola as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Viola

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The baby name Viola is a Girl name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced VY-oh-luh.

Viola is Latin in Origin.

Gender: Girl
Syllables: 3
Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: VY-oh-luh

What is the meaning of the name Viola ?

The baby name Viola is a girl name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced VY-oh-luh.

Viola is Latin in Origin.

Viola is a Latin flower name, taken from the classical noun viola, the earliest securely attested form of the word and the usual Roman term for the violet. Its literal sense is violet, referring to the small purple-flowered plant rather than the color in the first instance. The ending -a also made it readily usable as a feminine name in Latin and Romance naming.

As a given name, Viola is especially familiar from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, first performed around 1601, where Viola survives a shipwreck and lives disguised as Cesario. It also belongs to Italian usage and to the vocabulary of music, where Italian viola names the alto member of the violin family. English-speaking use rose in the late nineteenth century, reached the U.S. Top 50 from 1899 to 1911, then declined after midcentury. Related forms include Violetta, Violeta, Violette, and Violaine.

Viola has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Viola

Viola Davis Actor · Born 1965 · United States Viola Davis is an acclaimed actor from the United States, best known for her role in the film 'Fences' and the TV series 'How to Get Away with Murder'. She has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for her performance in 'Fences'. Viola Amherd Politician · Born 1962 · Switzerland Viola Amherd is a Swiss politician who became the first woman to serve as the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport in Switzerland. She has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2019, playing a significant role in shaping the country's defense policies. Born in 1962, Amherd has had a long career in Swiss politics, advocating for various social and defense issues.

Viola – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
Ireland Girls 2019 #1 — 902
BW 0 #19 1 960
IT Girls 2024 #27 1,193 47
BI Girls 0 #31 3 726
EE 0 #36 2 1,051
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
AL 0 #59 17 2,372
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
AL Girls 0 #72 221 4,141
AZ Girls 0 #75 1 1,051
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
SI 0 #79 2 1,612
CN 0 #82 5 3,857
JM 0 #89 5 3,714
GE Girls 0 #90 15 1,564
Sweden Girls 2022 #91 101 1,568
TW 0 #91 10 4,523
MD Girls 0 #92 1 865
HU 0 #97 18 1,675
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
Norway Girls 2025 #106 21 453
Switzerland Girls 2024 #107 29 1,786
OM 0 #119 3 6,215
CY Girls 0 #123 3 3,755
HU Girls 0 #125 122 3,308
GR 0 #130 6 3,911
BW Girls 0 #132 17 4,216
IQ 0 #132 2 3,533
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
BW Boys 0 #152 3 4,685
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
Finland Girls 2026 #155 3,385 3,895
SI Girls 0 #155 20 2,769
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
CZ 0 #178 9 3,154
PL Girls 0 #182 303 5,096
LT Girls 0 #185 10 1,904
LU Girls 0 #186 5 4,850
PL 0 #190 23 2,600
RU 0 #191 4 3,641
NA Girls 0 #192 33 7,146
DK 0 #205 2 5,198
GR Girls 0 #207 36 6,293
Germany Girls 0 #209 1,616 4,949
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
IR 0 #217 13 4,221
IT Girls 0 #218 8,863 9,415
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
TW Girls 0 #226 51 8,139
BG Girls 0 #228 4 3,559
MO Girls 0 #232 20 7,056
JM Girls 0 #244 16 7,507
CN Girls 0 #248 102 8,829
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
Canada Girls 2024 #259 27 2,795
Finland Girls 0 #259 152 1,368
CZ Girls 0 #262 81 5,378
SD Girls 0 #267 79 7,678
NG 0 #269 4 5,926
IL 0 #276 7 6,291
SG 0 #277 6 11,010
DK Girls 0 #283 34 7,429
HR Girls 0 #287 8 3,687
KZ Girls 0 #288 33 5,862
Finland 0 #289 19 830
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
SA 0 #305 8 10,560
QA Girls 0 #307 10 15,378
Austria Girls 0 #309 114 1,885
JO Girls 0 #312 14 7,570
HK 0 #316 33 8,483
IT 0 #317 658 4,183
Germany 0 #328 113 2,542
GH Girls 0 #331 7 6,973
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
RU Girls 0 #332 177 11,913
EG 0 #335 66 6,387
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
PL Boys 0 #338 3 6,459
EG Girls 0 #351 1,113 14,742
MY 0 #352 3 12,352
OM Girls 0 #354 43 15,987
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
NL 0 #369 23 2,481
PH Girls 0 #377 14 13,098
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
France Girls 2021 #402 4 3,185
HK Girls 0 #405 220 16,104
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
ZA 0 #417 31 14,421
CL 0 #431 4 6,867
IR Girls 0 #444 87 8,334
SD Boys 0 #465 2 10,523
PA Girls 0 #466 16 9,861
PT Girls 0 #468 4 7,952
IQ Girls 0 #483 22 11,303
PS Girls 0 #487 37 10,981
KW Girls 0 #492 24 19,177
AE Girls 0 #509 45 20,968
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
RU Boys 0 #519 8 12,621
CR Girls 0 #523 10 11,342
CM Girls 0 #524 17 11,671
SG Girls 0 #537 50 18,916
BH 0 #543 11 17,937
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
IL Girls 0 #562 56 11,648
IR Boys 0 #564 2 10,162
CM Boys 0 #575 1 12,054
BO Boys 0 #618 5 9,244
IL Boys 0 #624 2 10,983
AR Girls 0 #628 3 8,289
LB 0 #643 16 13,263
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
IN Girls 0 #650 5 13,121
NG Girls 0 #673 115 15,093
ZA Girls 0 #681 553 25,928
IQ Boys 0 #693 5 13,071
CL Boys 0 #697 4 13,390
SY 0 #698 31 11,684
NL Girls 0 #701 260 5,933
United States Girls 2024 #718 199 8,487
BR Boys 0 #731 21 12,213
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
CL Girls 0 #763 89 14,098
KW Boys 0 #801 6 18,755
EG Boys 0 #863 24 15,035
TN 0 #863 3 13,765
SA Girls 0 #881 55 25,931
CO Boys 0 #908 13 15,656
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
MY Girls 0 #921 74 24,821
PE Boys 0 #922 5 14,506
Spain Girls 0 #934 50 5,561
BR Girls 0 #988 5 12,708
NG Boys 0 #997 5 16,906
PE Girls 0 #1,005 6 14,861
MX Boys 0 #1,030 4 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
CO Girls 0 #1,051 28 16,140
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
MX Girls 0 #1,152 32 17,781
ZA Boys 0 #1,162 17 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,174 9 25,439
TR 0 #1,183 29 19,440
MA 0 #1,192 8 20,986
IT Boys 0 #1,214 258 10,046
DZ 0 #1,231 4 20,130
SA Boys 0 #1,685 7 28,008

Viola is popular in 84 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
Switzerland
Sweden
United States
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Viola

Viola is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Viola is a 3 syllable name, pronounced VY-oh-luh.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Violet, Violeta, Violetta, Violette, Violaine and Wiola.
Yes, very popular — Viola ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Viola ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Yes — 2 notable people named Viola are in our database, including Viola Davis (Actor), Viola Amherd (Politician).