Iola
Usually traced to Iole, a figure of Greek myth whose name is connected with ion, the Greek word for the violet flower.
Iola in 2025
Iola was given to 7 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 20,806th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 473,620 babies born.
The history of Iola
Iola reached its highest point in 1918, when 368 babies were given the name, ranking 621st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 406th, in 1907.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 9,659 babies have been named Iola. Half of them were born before 1922, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Iola by decade
| Decade | Babies named Iola | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 233 | 619 |
| 1890s | 471 | 594 |
| 1900s | 953 | 406 |
| 1910s | 2,525 | 464 |
| 1920s | 2,546 | 689 |
| 1930s | 1,367 | 903 |
| 1940s | 692 | 1,298 |
| 1950s | 437 | 1,981 |
| 1960s | 164 | 3,716 |
| 1970s | 79 | 7,343 |
| 1980s | 40 | 10,480 |
| 2000s | 19 | 22,560 |
| 2010s | 78 | 12,261 |
| 2020s | 55 | 15,380 |
Where Iola is heading
Iola has fallen 36% over the past decade, from 11 babies in 2015 to 7 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Iola is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Iola
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Iola.