Iola

Iola: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “violet dawn”
Origin: Greek
Say it: eye-OH-luh · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Usually linked to Greek ión 'violet' and sometimes associated with names beginning Iol-/Yol-. Its exact formation is not fully certain, but the Greek floral interpretation is the standard one.

Greek names English names Names meaning flower Names meaning nature Names meaning beauty Vintage names Mythological names

How popular is Iola?

20242.4 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Iola in 20248

Peak year1907

Total US babies since 18809,652

Iola is steady now but far below its 1907 peak.

Names like Iola

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek
Elenabright, shining light · Greek
Genesisorigin; creation; birth · Greek
Zoeylife · Greek

Iola questions

What does the name Iola mean?

Iola means "violet dawn". It comes from Greek. Usually linked to Greek ión 'violet' and sometimes associated with names beginning Iol-/Yol-. Its exact formation is not fully certain, but the Greek floral interpretation is the standard one.

Is Iola a boy or girl name?

Iola is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Iola?

8 US babies were named Iola in 2024. Its peak year was 1907.

How do you pronounce Iola?

Iola is usually pronounced eye-OH-luh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.