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At a Glance: Name: Lula – Origin: English (19th-century pet form, from Louisa, Lucy, or Tallulah) – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: LOO-la
Lula (pronounced LOO-la) has been used since the 19th century as a shortened, affectionate form of Louisa, Lucy, or Tallulah. You may have seen it described as meaning "famous warrior," but that's overstated — the same sources that trace it to Louisa also allow Lucy or Tallulah as the root, so there's no single settled meaning behind it. It's a short, bold name with a pared-down, modern feel.
Meaning & Origin of Lula
Origin: English (19th-century pet form, from Louisa, Lucy, or Tallulah).
A common claim: Baby-name sites uniformly gloss Lula as 'famous warrior', treating it strictly as a Louise/Louisa diminutive Actually: This overstates the certainty — the same sources that derive Lula from Louisa also allow Lucy or Tallulah as the source, so 'famous warrior' isn't a settled meaning.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Lula
Phonetic: LOO-la IPA: /ˈluːlə/
Popularity of Lula
Lula peaked in 1881, when it ranked #36 with 655 babies given the name; by 2024 it had dropped to #1958, with just 101 babies given the name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Lula Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Lula, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Lula mean?
Baby-name sites uniformly gloss Lula as ‘famous warrior’, treating it strictly as a Louise/Louisa diminutive This overstates the certainty — the same sources that derive Lula from Louisa also allow Lucy or Tallulah as the source, so ‘famous warrior’ isn’t a settled meaning.
How do you pronounce Lula?
Lula is pronounced LOO-la (IPA: /ˈluːlə/).
Is Lula a popular name right now?
Lula peaked at #36 in 1881 and is ranked #1958 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Lula? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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