Ola
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Meaning
honor, wealth (Yoruba ola); a short form of names like Olamide and Oladipo, widely used across Black British families
How popular is Ola around the world?
In the United States, 82 babies were named Ola between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 113 boys were given the name Ola in 2025.
Ola is on the official records of the United States, Norway, Poland, South Australia, England and Wales, Canada, Spain and Brazil.
United States
1 in 270,000
In the United States, 82 babies were named Ola between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ola peaked in the 1890s and the 1910s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Norway
1 in 250register 2026
In Norway, 113 boys were given the name Ola in 2025.
share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
Poland
1 in 9,800
In Poland, 25 girls named Ola were born in 2025, the 238th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Ola in 2017.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 53,000
In England and Wales, 11 girls named Ola were born in 2025, ranked 2,440th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 73,000
In Canada, 5 girls named Ola were born in 2024, ranked 3,457th among girls that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Spain
1 in 1.2M
In Spain, 36 residents are named Ola, ranked 18,898th among women, with a mean age of 35.5 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Austria
last on record 2022
Ola is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Brazil
At the 2022 census, 37 people in Brazil were named Ola, ranked 81,857th, with a median age of 39.
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Ireland
last on record 2020
Ola is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
New Zealand
last on record 1916
Ola is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Scotland
last on record 2017
Ola is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Mexico City, Argentina and Puerto Rico: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown.
When you meet Ola
People given the name Ola in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1969. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The meeting point
Four origins, four language families, one name.
Ola · Arabic علا, "high, elevated": journalist Ola Al-Fares
Olaf · a Norwegian short form of Olaf: composer Ola Gjeilo
Aleksandra · the standard Polish pet form of Aleksandra: dancer Ola Jordan
Ọla · Yoruba ọlá, "wealth, honor": playwright Ola Rotimi
Where Ola travels
Polish · diminutive of Aleksandra, standard enough in Poland to stand alone; every Polish name grows pet forms in -ek, -ka, or -sia, and Olka is Ola's own playful step further
Keep exploring
British and London baby names · Polish baby names · Short names · What is Ola short for?
The Ola deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ola truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ola fits with your family’s names and surname.
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