Viola

vie-O-luh; VEE-o-luh; vi-O-luh

Latin

"violet"

Viola Origin and Meaning

The name Viola is a girl's name of Italian, Latin origin meaning "violet".

Viola has plenty of positive elements going for it: the rhythm of the musical instrument, the association with the flower, the trending 'Vi' beginning and its leading role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. With a touch of international flair, it also avoids the violent/Violet some parents have.

In the Bard's gender-bending comedy of identity and disguise, Viola is the appealing, passionate heroine, while later takes on this tale include Shakespeare in Love, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Viola de Lesseps and She's the Man starring Amanda Bynes. The most distinguished current real-life bearer is Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis.

Viola was a Top 50 name in the US from 1899 to 1911, falling off the list in 1972, but is still popular in other countries such as Italy, where it's in the Top 30 and Finland where it's in the Top 20. More recently, it has entered the England and Wales Top 1000, joining other Shakespearean favorites like Ophelia and Imogen.

And in the US too, where Violet is now a mega-star, strong Viola is climbing up the ranks, with more than 230 girls given the name in a recent year.

Viola Rank in US Top 1000

# 962 in the US

Viola Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 421 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Viola

• 421 Nameberry 2025
• 71 Unique 2023
• 769 Future 2028
• 830 England 2023
• 275 Germany 2016
• 26 Italy 2023
• 94 Sweden 2024
• 12 Finland 2023
• 183 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Viola

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Viola.

• Zelda
• Rosalind
• Hermione
• Marceline
• Coraline
• Delphine
• Tabitha
• Fleur
• Sybil
• Petra
• Paloma
• Estelle
• Constance
• Olympia
• Verity
• Sylvia
• Cornelia
• Allegra
• Cecily
• Odette

Famous People Named Viola

• Viola Maud Compton English actress.
• Viola Mary Lyel English actress.
• Viola Keats English actress.
• Viola Elisabeth of Teschen Queen consort of Wenceslaus III of Bohemia and Poland.
• Viola Davis Tennon American actress.
• Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo American minister and civil rights activist.
• Viola Farber American choreographer and dancer.
• Viola Tree English actress.
• Viola Harris American actress.
• Viola Emily Allen American silent film actress.
• Viola Barry (born Gladys Viola Wilson) American silent film actress.
• Viola Dana (born Virginia Flugrath) American silent film actress.
• Viola Cheptoo Lagat Kenyan middle distance runner.
• Viola Bauer German skier.
• Viola Odebrecht German footballer.
• Viola Myers Canadian sprinter.
• Viola Estelle Gentry American aviatrix.
• Viola Mae Wills American pop singer.
• Viola Gillette American operatic contralto.
• Viola Spolin American theatre coach.
• Viola Haqi Dutch model.
• Viola Poley German rower.
• Viola Maud (Lyttelton) Grosvenor Duchess of Westminister 10 June 1912 – 3 May 1987) was the wife of Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster.
• Viola Georgina Grosvenor (b. 1992) English heiress; granddaughter of Viola Grosvenor.
• Viola Mikkelsen (b. 1992) daughter of actor Mads Mikkelsen.
• Viola Baah (b. 2012) daughter of actress Beverly Afaglo and singer Praye Honeho.
• Viola Philomena Gallagher (b.2014) daughter of ators Megan Hilty and Brian Gallagher.
• Viola Forchhammer (b.2016) daughter of Lukas Forchhammer of the band Lukas Graham.
• Reece Viola Hamilton daughter of athletes Laird Hamilton & Gabrielle Reece.

The name Viola in Pop Culture

• Viola main character in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night;" twin of brother Sebastian
• Viola Eade main character in the "Chaos Walking" trilogy
• Viola Lucy character in the Chalet School series
• Viola "Vi " waitress in the movie "Grease"
• Viola one of Jake's daughters in animated series Adventure Time
• Viola Hastings character in film "She's the Man"
• Viola De Lesseps character in film "Shakespeare in Love"
• Viola character in "Saints Row 3"
• Viola Cadaverini character in "Ace Attorney" video game series
• Viola character in video game "The Witch's House"
• Viola character in the Soul Calibur series of games.
• Viola a bug,type gym leader from the Pokemon video games and anime
• Viola character in anime "Kiddy Grade"
• Viola character in video game series TimeSplitters
• Viola character in the Japanese video game series Zone of the Enders
• Viola character in video game Eternal Sonata
• Viola Beach late English rock band
• A viola is a stringed instrument slightly larger than the violin, missing the violin E string and instead has a C string.
• Viola Willoughby character played by Kate Siegel in “The Haunting of Bly Manor.”

International Variations of the name Viola

• Violka Czech
• Yolande French
• Jolanta Polish
• Viole French