UK girl's name
Viola
Small purple flower symbolizing modesty, humility and faithfulness.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Viola is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Viola popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #918, with 39 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 46 births.
This profile covers 576 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 85% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 579 living people in the UK are called Viola. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Viola ranked #918 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 39 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 46 girls were registered as Viola.
- • Viola ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #502 in 2018.
- • About 579 living people in the UK are estimated to have Viola as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#918
2024
Births in 2024
39
Latest year
Peak year
2018
46 births
Estimated living
579
2026
Meaning
What does Viola mean?
The name Viola is derived from the Latin word viola, meaning violet. It is a feminine form of the name Vio, which is believed to have originated from the Roman family name Violius. The name is thought to have been given to children with violet-colored eyes or born during the spring when violets bloom.
In ancient Roman times, the violet flower was associated with fertility, love, and modesty. It was believed to have aphrodisiac properties and was often used in love potions and rituals. The name Viola may have been used to honor the goddess Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty, who was often depicted with violets.
The earliest recorded use of the name Viola dates back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Viola de Lacy, an English noblewoman who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. She was the daughter of Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, and inherited a significant amount of land and wealth from her father.
Another notable Viola in history was Viola Liuzzo, an American civil rights activist who was murdered in 1965 while participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama. She was born in 1925 and her tragic death brought national attention to the civil rights movement and the violence faced by activists.
In the 16th century, Viola Bardane was an Italian painter and poet known for her portraits and religious works. She was born in Naples in 1557 and her paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
Viola Pettit was an American actress and dancer who was a member of the Ziegfeld Follies in the early 20th century. She was born in 1888 and appeared in several Broadway productions and silent films during her career.
Viola Desmond was a Canadian businesswoman and civil rights activist who challenged racial segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s. She was born in 1914 and her act of resistance sparked a movement against segregation in Canada. She was posthumously pardoned and has been featured on the Canadian $10 banknote since 2018.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Viola over time
The chart below shows babies named Viola registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Viola, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 39 births in 2024, compared with 46 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Viola by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Viola was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #981 | 182 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1204 | 293 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2402 | 89 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2464 | 12 | 2 |
Geography
Where Viola is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Viola. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Viola ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #502 in 2018.
Across the UK
Viola in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#502 in 2018
1 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Viola
-
Viola Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
Widow of 5th Duke of Westminster (1912–1987)
1912-1987
-
Viola Keats
actor; film actor
British actress (1911–1998)
1911-1998
-
Viola Bayley
writer; children's writer
British writer
1911-1997
-
Viola Klein
sociologist
British sociologist
1908-1973
-
Viola Lyel
actor; film actor
British actress (1900–1972)
1900-1972
-
Viola Bankes
writer
(born 1900)
1900-1989
-
Viola Paterson
painter
British painter, wood engraver and colour woodcut artist
1899-1981
-
Viola Garvin
writer; poet; journalist
British writer (1898–1969)
1898-1969
Related
Names similar to Viola
- Victoria 19,582
- Violet 14,594
- Vanessa 3,696
- Verity 3,437
- Valentina 2,969
- Vienna 2,077
- Vivienne 1,692
- Veronica 1,425
- Valerie 733
- Viktoria 696
- Vera 667
- Vivian 619
FAQ
Viola: questions and answers
How popular is the name Viola in the UK right now?
In 2024, Viola was ranked #918 for girls in England and Wales, with 39 births registered.
When was Viola most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 46 babies registered as Viola in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Viola?
Small purple flower symbolizing modesty, humility and faithfulness.
How many people are called Viola in the UK?
A total of 576 babies have been registered as Viola across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Viola most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Viola ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #502 in 2018. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.