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At a Glance: Name: Zola – Meaning: calm, tranquil – Origin: African (Zulu/Xhosa); unrelated Italian surname also exists – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: ZOH-lah
Zola is pronounced ZOH-lah and comes from an African (Zulu/Xhosa) root meaning calm, tranquil. You may see it listed online as meaning "earth" — that comes from an unrelated Italian surname that shares the same spelling, not from the African name itself. It's among worldly and clean, modern name styles.
Meaning & Origin of Zola
Meaning: Calm, tranquil.
Origin: African (Zulu/Xhosa); unrelated Italian surname also exists.
A common claim: Often listed as meaning 'earth', which traces to the unrelated Italian surname rather than the African use of the name. Actually: The 'earth' meaning circulating online likely comes from conflating the African given name with the unrelated Italian surname Zola (from zolla, 'clod of earth'); as an African name, Zola is generally linked to a Zulu/Xhosa word for 'calm, tranquil'.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Zola
Phonetic: ZOH-lah IPA: /ˈzoʊlə/
Popularity of Zola
Zola's peak year in SSA records was 1895, when it ranked #365 with 60 babies given the name. By 2024 it ranked #1106 with 221 babies, out of data spanning 1880-2024.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Zola Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Zola, 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 Zola mean?
Calm, tranquil. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zola)
How do you pronounce Zola?
Zola is pronounced ZOH-lah (IPA: /ˈzoʊlə/).
Is Zola a popular name right now?
Zola peaked at #365 in 1895 and is ranked #1106 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Zola? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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