girl's name
Yolande
yo-LAHND
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Births on record 55,374
Ireland
#428
1964 births
Yolande has no settled origin, and the violet reading most sources give is a guess — it may be a French reshaping of the Italian Violante, or a Germanic name reworked to look like one. Neither is established.
- Yolande is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1950, when 1,885 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Yolande over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2022, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 1,235 |
| 1910s | 2,505 |
| 1920s | 8,075 |
| 1930s | 10,020 |
| 1940s | 11,160 |
| 1950s | 13,055 |
| 1960s | 5,680 |
| 1970s | 1,410 |
| 1980s | 375 |
| 1990s | 140 |
| 2000s | 50 |
| 2010s | 15 |
| 2020s (to 2022) | 10 |
What Yolande means
Yolande has no established meaning. A connection to the violet is commonly asserted through Violante, but the derivation is a resemblance rather than a documented line.
Where Yolande comes from
Yolande is medieval French, and its origin is disputed. The usual account makes it a form of the Italian Violante, from viola, the violet — but that may be a later reshaping of an existing name toward a word that sounded close, rather than its source. A Germanic origin has also been proposed. Yolande of Aragon governed Anjou and Provence in the fifteenth century and was among the few figures to back Joan of Arc materially.
Yolande in use
Yolande peaked in France in 1950, when 1,885 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in none of the six markets we track in the most recent year, despite 55,374 lifetime births. The American series never exceeded 40 births in a year, so its history is effectively French throughout.
How popular is Yolande?
In 2022, Yolande was given to 5 babies in France. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Where Yolande is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Yolande
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Yolande also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Yolande over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Yolande 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 Yolande
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Yolande — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Yolande
What does the name Yolande mean?
Nothing established. The violet reading is a resemblance rather than a documented derivation.
Is it related to Violante?
Possibly, but the Italian form may be a later reshaping rather than the source.
Who was Yolande of Aragon?
A fifteenth-century ruler of Anjou and Provence, and one of Joan of Arc's few material backers.
Is Yolande still used?
It charts in none of our six markets in the current year.
How popular is the name Yolande?
In 2022, Yolande was given to 5 babies in France. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Is Yolande a girl's or a boy's name?
Yolande is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Yolande?
Yolande has 2 syllables.
When was Yolande most popular?
Yolande peaked in 1950, when 1,885 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.