Ola
In Norway a short form of Olaf, from Old Norse Aleifr, descendant of the forebears. As a woman's name it also serves for Olga and Olivia.
Ola in 2025
Ola was given to 13 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 14,112th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 255,026 babies born.
The history of Ola
Ola reached its highest point in 1920, when 772 babies were given the name, ranking 418th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 211th, in 1901.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 30,275 babies have been named Ola. Half of them were born before 1922, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Ola by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ola | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,467 | 223 |
| 1890s | 2,685 | 216 |
| 1900s | 3,452 | 211 |
| 1910s | 5,910 | 244 |
| 1920s | 6,646 | 417 |
| 1930s | 4,260 | 511 |
| 1940s | 2,879 | 641 |
| 1950s | 1,544 | 993 |
| 1960s | 508 | 1,931 |
| 1970s | 261 | 3,296 |
| 1980s | 207 | 4,661 |
| 1990s | 132 | 8,069 |
| 2000s | 117 | 10,492 |
| 2010s | 125 | 11,181 |
| 2020s | 82 | 11,788 |
Where Ola is heading
Ola has fallen 28% over the past decade, from 18 babies in 2015 to 13 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1920 peak — Ola is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Ola
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ola.