Nameling

Nola

Gender
Girl
Say it
NOH-la
Origin
Irish
UK rank, 2025
#278 for girls
US rank, 2025
#821 for girls

Nola is a girls' name of Irish origin, meaning “white shoulder”. In 2025 it ranked 278th for girls in the UK (176 babies) and 821st for girls in the US (331 babies).

What does Nola mean?

Irish: short form of Fionnuala, via Nuala

“white shoulder”

A short form of Fionnuala, the daughter of Lir who was turned into a swan in Irish legend.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Nola a girl's or a boy's name?

Nola is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 176 girls in the UK and 331 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Nola in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#278among girls
Babies in 2025
176about 1 in 1,600 girls
Five-year trend
Risingup 29% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 176 girls in the UK were named Nola, making it the 278th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 257th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 275 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Nola than any year since 2019.

Half of all the girls named Nola in the UK since 1996 were born between 2018 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among girls in 2025, it was 275th in England and Wales and 301st in Scotland.

1996Busiest: 275 in 20212025
Nola in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025176#278
2024226#232
2023249#214
2022251#216
2021275#208
2020200#257
2019174#304
2018131#379
201788#533
201686#540
201576#613
201450#837
201330#1,218
201227#1,293
201131#1,165
201016#1,829
200925#1,285
200819#1,548
200713#1,964
200615#1,681
20058#2,555
20049#2,226
20034#3,768
20024#3,556
20016#2,587
20000–
19990–
19980–
19973#3,991
19964#3,289

How popular is Nola in the US?

Rank in 2025
#821among girls
Babies in 2025
331about 1 in 4,900 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 28% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 331 girls in the US were named Nola, making it the 821st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 553rd. Its busiest year was 2020, with 537 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Nola than any year since 2011.

Half of all the girls named Nola in the US since 1880 were born between 1923 and 2009, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 342 girls in the US were given Nola or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #778, up from #821 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 537 in 20202025
Nola in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025331#821
2024369#762
2023381#739
2022472#625
2021503#595
2020537#553
2019500#605
2018461#643
2017379#744
2016350#818
2015368#769
2014348#804
2013350#776
2012334#804
2011292#893
2010314#856
2009280#953
2008299#916
2007257#1,027
2006202#1,197
2005104#1,854
200486#2,098
200380#2,164
200259#2,602
200144#3,138
200050#2,850
199937#3,371
199831#3,727
199736#3,221
199634#3,356
199529#3,665
199432#3,443
199332#3,417
199225#4,082
199125#4,053
199024#4,115
198937#2,925
198824#3,800
198738#2,610
198630#3,052
198534#2,748
198442#2,298
198361#1,751
198265#1,720
198153#1,985
198038#2,486
197958#1,832
197862#1,690
197765#1,621
197647#1,912
197540#2,136
197439#2,100
197333#2,309
197237#2,093
197169#1,473
197066#1,505
196980#1,250
196868#1,347
196765#1,360
196699#1,050
196592#1,089
1964137#888
1963118#980
1962148#867
1961155#848
1960168#789
1959252#627
1958144#849
1957159#801
1956206#668
1955195#670
1954236#587
1953255#544
1952240#558
1951249#527
1950247#519
1949223#555
1948210#577
1947252#527
1946222#527
1945231#473
1944245#458
1943291#431
1942263#456
1941279#411
1940259#424
1939273#408
1938337#350
1937294#378
1936300#366
1935286#375
1934307#360
1933281#384
1932301#370
1931300#370
1930322#381
1929328#371
1928330#376
1927361#357
1926268#417
1925279#414
1924320#378
1923312#375
1922335#361
1921324#374
1920306#378
1919343#347
1918390#325
1917307#358
1916301#355
1915320#334
1914227#348
1913205#337
1912211#316
1911168#306
1910158#306
1909172#275
1908144#295
1907142#293
1906125#294
1905127#296
1904140#265
1903131#271
1902131#272
190193#313
1900129#288
1899106#281
1898122#277
189774#341
1896108#276
1895111#265
1894118#249
189390#278
189262#336
189178#282
189060#326
188969#285
188854#327
188755#287
188651#289
188539#324
188434#337
188330#324
188237#290
188132#279
188023#333

Names like Nola

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Nora Clara Ada Nina Cora Eva Etta Nellie Lola Orla Nova Matilda

Other spellings of Nola

Nolah

Names related to Nola

Noella Noelia Noela Noel

More Irish names

Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey Kennedy

Every Irish name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Nola: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nola, updated 20 October 2026.