Name of the Week: Nola

Origin:

Nola is considered to be a shortened form of either Magnolia or Finola.  Magnolia is the name of a bold fragrant spring flower which was named in honour of French botanist Pierre Magnol. It came into use as a given name in the 19th century thanks to the love of floral names. In Victorian floriography it meant "love of nature." Finola is an anglicised form of the Old Irish name Fionnuala, made up of the elements fionn "white, fair, blessed" and guala "shoulder." Nuala (NOO-lə) developed as a short form, and so it is natural to assume that, as Finola is a anglicised form of Fionnuala, so Nola is a anglicised form of Nuala.  But there is a major flaw to this theory that Nola developed as a short form. With most diminutives, though they may at times supersede their original form, that original is still clearly also in concurrent use, and must have been used well enough previously to have created the short form in the first place. However, there is little evidence of either Finola and Fionnuala (outside of Scotland and Ireland) or Magnolia in enough use in the English speaking world to explain the use of Nola in this instance.  I believe the answer can be found in America, where Nola was far more common in the late 19th century, than in Britain. A look at the top 1000 in the United States in 1880 shows a love of short, diminutive-style names with strong vowel sounds. Nola ranked at #340 and Magnolia at #658, but there was also Lula (#39), Nora (#56), Viola (#94), Lola (#117), Eula (#179), Ola (#184), Lila (#257), Nona (#280) Leola (#331), Iola (#439), Zola (#737), Creola (#736), Eola (#775), Nolia (#816) and Nolie (#910). With so many of the same sounds in fashion, Nola was a natural evolution.  Even if Nola was sometimes used as a nickname for Magnolia (as Nolia and Nolie suggests), it is clear that it was also an independent coinage thanks to its fashionable Victorian sound. The same can be seen currently in the Netherlands, where Nola is currently rising and more popular (at #130) than in any other country. Here it is doubtful that its use is thanks to either Finola/Fionnuala or Magnolia. Yet again, however, the sound is key. The Dutch top 500 of 2016 includes Mila (#8), Nora (#14), Noor (#25), Noa (#27), Nova (#29), Lola (#114), Noelle (#156), Jula (#191) and many other 2 syllable names ending in -a. Added to this, Nola is also the name of a town in Campania, Italy. Nola is the modern form -- a rendering of its ancient name, Nuvlana. Saint Paulinus of Nola (354-431) is credited with introducing the use of bells to Christian worship, though this creditation is disputed. Either way, the small hand-held bell used in the choir during consecration was named the nola after the town of Nola and the large steeple bell the campana after the surrounding area.  Nola has further saintly heritage thanks to Saint Felix of Nola (d.c.250) who was known for having sold all his possessions to aid the poor, and who was greatly revered by the Campanians, and also Saint Maximus of Nola (d. 250), Felix's contemporary.

Usage:

The use of Nola was sparse in the 19th century in England and Wales, but more common than either Magnolia or Finola. Nola rose in popularity in the 1920s, peaking in the 1940s, as birth registrations per decade show:   Nola Magnolia Finola 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 0 births 0 births 0 births 1 birth 6 births 4 births 10 births 17 births 48 births 141 births 187 births 135 births 52 births 0 births 0 births 0 births 2 births 2 births 2 births 1 birth 0 births 1 birth 3 births 2 births 0 births 1 birth 0 births 0 births 0 births 1 birth 2 births 0 births 3 births 2 births 3 births 8 births 17 births 50 births 91 births In the United States, Nola was in moderate and consistent use from the end of the 19th century up until the mid 20th century, after which it declined. Magnolia was also used consistently, though far less commonly -- while Finola did not rank at all in the US top 1000.    Nola Magnolia 1880: 1890: 1900: 1910: 1920: 1930: 1940: 1950: 1960: 1970: #340 #327 #289 #306 #379  #382 #425 #522 #793 *out of top 1000* #658 #982 #519 #433 #642 #721 #816 *out of top 1000* *out of top 1000* *out of top 1000* Nola was even more common in Australia, ranking #74 in 1920, #53 in 1930 and #94 in 1940 in New South Wales. Nola Nicholas (b.c.1920), was heiress to the Australian 'Aspro' pharmaceutical fortune and married Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (1916-1999), renowned violinist and conductor, in 1938.  From 1996 to 2006, Nola was consistently outside of the top 1000 in England and Wales, never garnering more than 8 births in any given year. It saw a moderate rise after 2006 when it ranked #1585 (15 births). This may have been in a small way thanks to the film Match Point (2005) which starred Scarlett Johansson in the principle role of Nola Rice. Nola saw a marked increase in 2014, when it finally moved up into the top 1000 at #877 (43 births) and rose sharply again in 2015 when it ranked #583 (73 births).  In Scotland, Nola only ranked nine times from 1974 to 2007, given to no more than one girl in any given year. From 2008, it ranked more consistently, reaching #674 (4 births) in 2011, #477 (7 births) in 2014 and #413 (8 births) in 2016.  In Northern Ireland, Nola either did not rank, or was given to fewer than 3 girls in any given year (meaning its rank is suppressed) from 1997 until 2015. In 2015, it reached #426 (3 births) and was #306 (5 births) in 2016.

Famous Bearers:

Contemporary: * Nola Fairbanks (b.1924), American actress.  * Nola Marino (b.1954), Australian MP. Literature and Other Media: * Nola Darling, character in film She's Gotta Have It (1986). * Nola Rice, character in film Match Point (2005). * Nola, main character in 2003 film Nola.  * Nola Falacci, character on TV series Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Other: * Nola, a town in Italy. * NOLA, an acronym for New Orleans.

Variants:

Nolie, Nolia

Pronunciation:

NŌ-lə [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Finola, Magnolia, Eleanora, Nolwenn, Novalee, Nolana

Sibling Names:

Tessa     Lottie     Marcie     Greta     Juno     Rhea  Rudy     Caleb     Walker     Ross     Fraser     Blane

Name Lists:

Short and Sweet

  

If you like Nola you may also like:   Luna, Nova, Gwen, Lina, Noa, Fern, Mira, Opal, Zora, Roma

Thanks to Sosie for requesting this name.