girl's name
Lola
LOH-la
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 205,244
the United States
#275
2025 births
Lola is a girl's name of Spanish origin meaning "sorrows." It is a pet form of Dolores, from the Marian title Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, Our Lady of Sorrows — a startlingly heavy source for a name that reads as light.
- Lola is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in US records in 1919, when 1,623 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,006 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lola over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Lola is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,054 |
| 1890s | 4,232 |
| 1900s | 5,964 |
| 1910s | 11,814 |
| 1920s | 14,746 |
| 1930s | 10,456 |
| 1940s | 7,663 |
| 1950s | 5,542 |
| 1960s | 2,864 |
| 1970s | 1,591 |
| 1980s | 853 |
| 1990s | 528 |
| 2000s | 7,817 |
| 2010s | 13,900 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,143 |
What Lola means
Lola means sorrows, inherited from Dolores. The Spanish dolores is the plural of dolor, pain or grief, and refers specifically to the seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary rather than to sadness generally.
Where Lola comes from
Lola shortens Dolores, from the Spanish title María de los Dolores, Mary of the Sorrows, honoring the seven sorrows of the Virgin. Spanish devotional names of this kind are common — Mercedes, mercies, and Consuelo, consolation, work the same way. The pet form doubles the first syllable, a standard Spanish pattern that also gives Pepe and Paco. The name's English-language associations are entirely at odds with its origin: Lola Montez, the nineteenth-century dancer, and the songs Whatever Lola Wants and the Kinks' Lola.
Lola in use
Our data shows Lola stable, peaking in 1919, at 87 in England and Wales against 275 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1880. The gap between what the name means and how it is heard is among the widest of any name we have written.
How popular is Lola?
In 2025, Lola was given to 524 babies in England and Wales, ranking #87 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Lola is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
How Lola is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Lôla | Lôla is a rare spelling of Lola, written with a circumflex and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Lola
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lola also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lola over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lola
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lola in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Lola
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lola — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lola
What does the name Lola mean?
Lola means "sorrows," from the Spanish Dolores and the Marian title Our Lady of Sorrows.
Is Lola short for Dolores?
Traditionally yes, though Lola is now overwhelmingly registered as a name in its own right.
Why does Lola mean sorrows?
Dolores honors the seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Spanish devotional names like Mercedes and Consuelo work the same way.
How popular is the name Lola?
In 2025, Lola was given to 524 babies in England and Wales, ranking #87 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Lola a girl's or a boy's name?
Lola is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lola?
Lola has 2 syllables.
When was Lola most popular?
Lola peaked in 1919, when 1,623 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Lola?
Lola is usually shortened to Lo.
Is Lola a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lola currently ranks #53 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.