Total births
132,993
Girls' name · since 1880
Viola
Viola has 132,993 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1184
- among girls today
- 132,993
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
132,993 babies have been named Viola since 1880, making it today's #1184 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Viola has been recorded 132,993 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #1184 nationally and more common than 93% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1184 among girls today
- 132,993 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Viola is currently the #1184 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 132,993 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1184
- among girls today
- 132,993
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Viola vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1184
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Viola was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
4,331 babies were named Viola in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Viola compares
132,993 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 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
Viola's all-time total is 348x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Viola | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 132,993 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,331 | 48 | 19,840 |
Viola's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Viola's full recorded timeline at 1953, 9% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 91% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1995, with just 41 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 4,331 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Viola at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#1,184
Active since
1880
Viola popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 4,331
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Viola popularity over time - boys
434 total births recorded since 1889 (Viola as boys' name)
Viola by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Viola's strongest decade.
33,251 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Viola births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,806
1880s
3,806 births
- 1890s 9,386
1890s
9,386 births
- 1900s
1900s
16,559 births
- 1910s
1910s
33,076 births
- 1920s
1920s
33,251 births
- 1930s
1930s
14,256 births
- 1940s 8,269
1940s
8,269 births
- 1950s 5,386
1950s
5,386 births
- 1960s 2,732
1960s
2,732 births
- 1970s 1,058
1970s
1,058 births
- 1980s 764
1980s
764 births
- 1990s 488
1990s
488 births
- 2000s 734
2000s
734 births
- 2010s 1,871
2010s
1,871 births
- 2020s 1,357
2020s
1,357 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 33,251 births (25% of all-time use).
How Viola 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 Viola's total volume
Viola vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Viola by state
Where Viola concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 6,489 | 4.9% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 6,126 | 4.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 5,893 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 4,194 | 3.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 4,160 | 3.1% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 3,747 | 2.8% |
| #7 | South Carolina | | 3,537 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 3,431 | 2.6% |
New York share of Viola's total US births 4.9%
Even split
6,489 of 132,993 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Viola appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Viola? ▼
Viola has been given to 132,993 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1184 as of the latest data. 4,331 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Viola most popular? ▼
Viola was most popular in the 1920s decade with 33,251 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Viola most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Viola are New York (6,489 births), Pennsylvania (6,126 births), Texas (5,893 births).
How long has the name Viola been used? ▼
Viola has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Viola? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Violet, Violeta, Violette, Violetta, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Viola's data
- Viola's decade-level peak was the 1920s (33,251 total births); usage has since declined to 1,357 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Violas (6,489 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Viola
Nearby Names Like Viola
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Viola
Violet Girl
#15 185,561 births
Violeta Girl
#687 8,730 births
Violette Girl
#961 6,403 births
Violetta Girl
#1459 3,308 births
Violett Girl
#2182 1,012 births
Compare Viola side by side: Viola vs Violet Viola vs Violeta Viola vs Violette
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Viola
Kaisley #1183
2,771 births · Peak 2020
Vivianna #1185
4,798 births · Peak 2023
Madisson #1182
2,676 births · Peak 2025
Jalani #1186
1,676 births · Peak 2025
Ayanna #1181
16,326 births · Peak 2003
Korra #1187
2,135 births · Peak 2021
Maple #1180
3,281 births · Peak 2025
Shea #1188
12,565 births · Peak 2005
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Viola: #1184 Girls' Name - 132,993 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/viola. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Viola 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 June 2026.