Viola means violet — from the Latin, the musical instrument AND the Shakespearean heroine. Twelfth Night's Viola disguises herself as a man and creates the most tangled love comedy. Viola Davis is one of the most acclaimed actresses — EGOT winner. The viola is the orchestra's warmest string instrument. Three syllables of Shakespeare-level comedy, Davis-level EGOT, and the warmest instrument in any orchestra.
Viola comes from the Latin meaning violet. Twelfth Night's Viola disguises herself as a man in Shakespeare's greatest romantic comedy. Viola Davis is an EGOT winner. The viola is the orchestra's warmest string instrument.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Latin; Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (c. 1601); Viola Davis (born 1965).
3
Today
Viola remains a beloved choice, ranking #1138 in the US. 133,175 babies have been named Viola since 1880.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, SSA data
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How popular is Viola?
1918peak year
Viola has settled into a steady rhythm — neither rising sharply nor fading, holding a consistent place in U.S. birth records. It currently ranks well outside the top 1,000 (around #1138), with about 218 babies named Viola each year. In 1918, 4,331 babies were named Viola (ranked #59 nationally). Total registrations across all years since 1880: roughly 133,175.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Viola's Life Path 3 is the communicator's number — Shakespearean communication. People named Viola tend to be warm, acclaimed, and gifted at being the EGOT winner in any disguise.
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