Girls' name · since 1880
Ola
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 29,651 babies named Ola, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #842 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,886 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,651
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Ola currently ranks #7886 among girls' names in America, with 29,651 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Ola recorded 29,651 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #7886 nationally today, ahead of 54% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #842 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #7,886 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 29,651 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ola ranks #842 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,886 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 29,651 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #842 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,886 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,651
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Ola's 29,651 recorded births place it above 98.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
28 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Ola compares
29,651 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ola's all-time total is 79x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ola | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 29,651 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 755 | 21 | 19,840 |
Ola's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ola's full recorded timeline at 1953, 8% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 92% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2009, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 755 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ola popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 755
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ola popularity over time - boys
624 total births recorded since 1881 (Ola as boys' name)
Ola by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (6,485 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Ola's strongest decade.
6,485 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Ola births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,421
1880s
1,421 births
- 1890s
1890s
2,652 births
- 1900s
1900s
3,410 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,767 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,485 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,150 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,830 births
- 1950s 1,522
1950s
1,522 births
- 1960s 508
1960s
508 births
- 1970s 248
1970s
248 births
- 1980s 202
1980s
202 births
- 1990s 132
1990s
132 births
- 2000s 117
2000s
117 births
- 2010s 125
2010s
125 births
- 2020s 82
2020s
82 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6,485 births (22% of all-time use).
How Ola compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ola's total volume
Ola by state
Where Ola concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,758 | 9.3% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 2,419 | 8.2% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 2,373 | 8.0% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 1,638 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 1,362 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Louisiana | | 1,274 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 1,235 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 1,087 | 3.7% |
2,758 of 29,651 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.
Ola appears in 28 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ola? ▼
Where does Ola sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ola most popular? ▼
Where is Ola most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ola been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ola? ▼
What to do with Ola's data
- Ola's decade-level peak was the 1920s (6,485 total births); usage has since declined to 82 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Olas (2,758 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ola
Nearby Names Like Ola
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ola
Compare Ola side by side: Ola vs Olamide Ola vs Olar Ola vs Olamae
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ola
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ola: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ola draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.