Name of the Week: Lola

 

Origin:

Lola is diminutive form of Dolores, a Spanish name taken from Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, a title of the Virgin Mary. Dolores itself is the plural of dolor "pain," from Latin dolor "pain, sorrow." Nuestra Señora de los Dolores -- Our Lady of Sorrows in English -- refers to the Seven Sorrows of Mary which are a popular Catholic devotion:  The prophecy of Simeon. The flight into Egypt.    The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.  The Crucifixion.  The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.  The burial of Jesus. The Latin title, Mater Dolorosa ("Sorrowful Mother"), is one of the most common depictions of the Virgin Mary.  In some Spanish speaking countries, lola means 'little girl' colloquially.

Usage:

The feast of the Our Lady of Sorrows was established in 1423, but evidence for Dolores in use in the 15th and 16th century is difficult to ascertain.  Lola, both independently and more commonly as a diminutive for Dolores, can be found in Spanish speaking countries from the 17th century, as well as other Catholic countries on the Continent. It didn't gain much use in Britain until the 19th century, thanks to the fame of Lola Montez. Lola Montez was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Ireland in 1821. She was known as Eliza Gilbert and, when sixteen, married a young army officer, which ended in divorce a few years later. She adopted the name Lola Montez, claimed Spanish descent, and became a dancer on the London stage. She was, however, known to be a recently divorced woman, so her career never really hit it off. Moving to the Continent, Lola's beauty and charm, and association with Franz Lizst and Alexandre Dumas, became the stuff of legend and lead to great success in her career. She moved to Munich in 1846 and soon became the mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld the following year. In two years, Lola was literally the power behind the throne, wielding great political influence, but when revolution came in 1848, Ludwig abdicated and Lola fled Bavaria for London. Lola really started causing a stir in the British press from early 1847 onwards. She herself wrote at least two letters to the British press to put her side of affairs forward in the face of all the rumours which were widely reported about her (see right). This corresponds to the increase in usage of the name. From 1837 in the Birth Index of England and Wales, only one girl was named Lolah, prior to 1847, after which it became more established. Some girls were even Christened "Lola Montez" as their first names, clearly showing her influence. The name went from strength to strength, perhaps thanks to the Edwardian love of short, two-syllable names such as Eva, Ada, Ida etc, reaching a peak in the 1920s. Dolores also gradually increased in use, as births per decade in England and Wales show:  Lola  Dolores 1840s: 5 births 1850s: 19 births 1860s: 17 births 1870s: 21 births 1880s: 34 births 1890s: 57 births 1900s: 91 births 1910s: 161 births 1920s: 192 births 1930s: 171 births 1940s: 84 births 1950s: 64 births 1960s: 77 births 1840s: 0 births 1850s: 5 births 1860s: 3 births 1870s: 9 births 1880s: 28 birth 1890s: 41 births 1900s: 81 births 1910s: 85 births 1920s: 281 births 1930s: 507 births 1940s: 296 births 1950s: 315 births 1960s: 382 births click to enlarge In 1996, Lola ranked down at #620 (39 births) in England and Wales. The following year it was in the top 500 and within eight years it had hit the top 100 (#90 in 2005). It continued to rise, peaking at #23 (2010 births) in 2012.  Some of its success may be thanks to Lauren Child's children's book series Charlie and Lola (2000-2010) which was made into a successful TV series by the BBC in 2005. Lola has been less popular in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but has still been rising and hit the top 100 for the first time in both countries in 2010. In 2014, Lola ranked #37 in England, #34 in Wales (#35 combined), #63 in Scotland and #69 in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Lola Montez (1821–1861), Irish-born actress and dancer. * Lola Anglada (1893-1984), Spanish writer and illustrator. * Dolores "Lola" Flores (1923-1995), Spanish singer, dancer, and actress. * Lolah Burford (1931–2002) was an American novelist. Contemporary: * Lola Lemire Tostevin (b.1937), Canadian poet and novelist. * Lola Glaudini (b. 1971), American actress. * Dolores "Lola" Dueñas (b.1971), Spanish actress. * Lola Pagnani (b. 1972), Italian actress. Literature and Other Media: * Lola, the subject of The Kinks' 1970 hit song, Lola. * Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets), a song from the Broadway musical, Damn Yankees. * Lola, the main character in the Barry Manilow song, Copacabana. * Lola, the name of the titular character of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1981 film Lola. * Lola Bunny, girlfriend of Bugs Bunny. Other: * Lola Cars, a racing car manufacturor. * Lola River, Romania.

Variants:

Lolita (diminutive)

Pronunciation:

LŌ-lə [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Dolores, Charlotte, Lorelei, Gwendolen, Penelope, Apollonia, Colombine, Ophelia, Lowenna

Sibling Names:

Ruby     Stella     Sofia     Darcy     Mia     Ava  Max     Freddie     Jack     Harvey     Frankie     Bobby

Name Lists:

Guys and Dolls

 

If you like Lola you may also like:   Lila, Roxy, Lula, Bibi, Lois, Coco, Cora, Orla, Rosa, Belle

 

Thanks to Sophie for requesting this post.