Viola

I think this is a nice alternative to Violet which I do think is pretty but I cant help but associate with the word violent.

It actually astonishes me the amount of hate Viola gets. It’s a stunning and beautiful name! It’s a very refreshing alternative from the cool but overused Violet. This melodic and interesting name has an instrument, an interesting literary character, and it’s not popular anymore. Viola is a great name. Either pronunciation is fine.

It's such a lovely name. It sounds instrumental to me. ❤❤.

Very pretty!

Viola is an instrument. Which makes me like this name even more!

It is a beautiful name, and the musical association with a rich, resonant instrument is wonderful, too.

Isn't it lovely?

Viola was my maternal Great-Grandmother's name. She was wildly unconventional but nobody called her "VIOLA" instead, she was just "VI" to others and "Grandma Vi" to us.

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She was extremely creative and funny. She rarely wore clothes and spent most of her time in Vegas. I found modeling photos of her along with serious family gathering photos with only her making a silly face. I did not know her that well, but she made a big enough impression on me to always think of how similar I am to her now as an adult.
I am pregnant with my 5th child who is a girl, I really WANT to love this name to keep it in the family, but I cannot get past the "Vi" nickname in fears that the same reference will be applied to my daughter by friends or strangers etc.

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However, we pronounced it VYE-OLA vs. VEE-OLA. She would always answer the door naked and it was really disturbing. She wrote books but never published them. She was always on the run and lived an exciting life.

The great thing about Viola is that all 3 of its pronunciations are beautiful! There's Shakespearean (VIE-a-la,) modern English (vie-OH-la,) and Italian (veeOH-la.) Also, she's one of my favorite Shakespearean characters and one of my dream roles! Such a nice flowery name. The only downside is that musicians tend to think of violas as inferior instruments, and they make a lot of "Viola jokes" for some weird reason. But that's not really important! I'd totally name a future kid or pet of mine Viola, using the Shakespearean pronunciation!

It’s an instrument but it sounds beautiful as a name.

Reminds me of the phrase, “Voila!” (French for behold)

Pretty.

It's pretty, but I prefer Violet.

I like this name! Viola feels mature and elegant! Fits perfectly for middle age and older women! Viola is also a pretty rare name. Viola is a good quality name.

Nope. Sounds like the instrument that my parents play.
Next there will be Piano, Aerophone and Guitar (all the instruments I play, lol)

Elegant name! So pretty.

Reminds me of ravioli for some reason.

I play Violin, Viola, and Piano (as a hobby). I don't like this as a name. I prefer Violet :)

I appreciate Viola Juliette, I think this name still has that old Hollywood glamour. Wither this becomes popular or not, I will still use it. It's my favorite girl's name.

I personally don't care about the Spanish interpretation for Viola. In all reality the translated isn't any different from English: Violada or Violated? Like to be honest if that wasn't the case there's a million names from different cultures that are offensive to Americans and vice versa. So I am not going to pay any mind to those comments because I still think this is a great name. People need to stop obsessing on translations to cultures that they will never learn the language for. Let's be real, most of us are never going to leave our state or country and if we do it's one similar to the ones we grow up in. I feel we stop valuing names because we like them and want to see that for our kid and start becoming obsessed with meanings...no one cares. I feel as long as the name can be pronounced, read, spelled and you can see that for your child to live and use when interacting with other children, it shouldn't be an issue.

Gives me the impression of a mysterious woman with dark eyes and a beautiful smile. I love that there's not much nicknames for this name and love how classic but modern potential this name has. It's older but I can totally see it become vogue one day, Viola Florence, is my favorite pairing. This name has this old Hollywood glamor to it with a richness in sound that I don't hear often.

My sister's name is is Viola. Her nickname is Violka.

It’s a nice name, reminds me of the instrument though. Could be a really pretty middle name.

I prefer Viola to be pronounced (vee-OH-luh). Gorgeous and lovely and charming. Has an old fashioned element and antique beauty. Has a softer sound than Violet. Take heed of the charm Viola has.

This is my 100 year old grandmother's middle name, Pearl Viola.

It's okay. I like both pronunciations.

Viola is delicate and gorgeous, it's better than Violet in my opinion. It makes me think of the color purple and of the flower.

I actually really like this name. Mostly because I like the instrument, and I met a person dear to me who plays the Viola. I never liked how it is sometimes pronounced "VAI-oh-la" because it just sounds so... English.

I think Viola is the most beautiful name and it partly represents melody and harmony, so whoever has that name has a beautiful voice no matter what people say!
And violins are the most harmonized instruments!

My name is also Viola after my paternal grandmother. I didn't care for it in my younger years but now that I am older I find Viola much more to my liking. And it also bothers me when people mispronounce my name.

Love it pronounced Vee-oh-la, the variant is used in some Slavic countries. The other variant is odd because of this violin thing.

I'm not a big fan of this as a name but I do like the instrument!

I want to like it, but I don't. I love violet, but a Viola is an instrument, and just doesn't sound like a name to me.

Unfortunately, it means "rape" in five languages. (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.)

I love the name Viola, for everything in its meaning: the musical connection, the colour, the flower and the Shakespearean character.

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I prefer pronouncing it Vie-OH-la because to me VIE-o-la or VIE-la sounds a little pretentious and seems like you're rushing to get the name out of your mouth.

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I quite like the nicknames Vi, Lola and Ola. I would love to use this as a name for a daughter of mine someday.

Gorgeous name! I'd pronounce it 'VIY-oh-la' (viy as in violet) and I'd definitely consider naming one of my daughters Viola someday!

This is my name. Well, my middle name technically, but I've always been called Viola (pronounced vie ah lah). It's much nicer than the increasingly common Violet. It suits me well, and it will when I'm 80. :)

Very elegant name. It's not old-sounding and fits the younger years well while still aging beautifully.

Viola is a VERY nice name I barely hear.

Very nice. For some reason, I like this better than Violet.

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And I don't care that a Viola is an instrument.

Viola makes me think of the musical instrument, and it sounds very old-fashioned. Violet and similar names are so much nicer.

I think Viola is a beautiful name. I love it. It sounds so gothic and romantic. I don't know why people are against it because a viola is an instrument. To me, that's a plus. How could anyone say "no" to the name Viola? It's passionate, elegant, warm and soulful.

If you love the name Violet, but want something a little more unique, then Viola is the perfect name for you! I prefer to pronounce it "VIE-oh-lah" or "VIE-lah."

I love the play Twelfth Night where there is a character called Viola. Also at the very end of the film "Shakespeare in Love" there's a shot of Gwyneth Paltrow's character walking along the shore and the final voiceover saying something like "... And her name was... Viola" I really like that, and think Viola is a lovely, strong name (pronounced Vie(like sky) o - la. I've always pronounced the instrument as Vee (like see) - o - la.

This is SUCH a beautiful name if you pronounce it Vee-oh-luh.

Remember that this name has the stress on the second syllable, so it doesn't sound like 'violin' or 'violent'. It's an elegant, pretty name, but I don't really like names with a stressed 'o' sound. That's why I prefer Violet.

I adore the name Viola! It is a great alternative to Violet, which is getting a bit too trendy for my tastes (at least in my area), and it's just a lovely name altogether. A nice combo I heard was Viola Frances. :)

Somehow it makes me think first of the flower and the color - not about the instrument.

It could be used as a name for someone who is passionate about music and wants to name their child after their passion (like how they use famous musicians as names for their children). I mean I personally think it is a lovely name, with or without its musical association.

Beautiful name, although perhaps a bit like calling your kid Cello or Flute. Still, I might use it yet.

Viola has nothing to do with the violin, although there is a related instrument with this name. I think that Viola is a lovely name (when pronounced "vee-OH-la") and is quite underused.

To me naming my child 'Viola' is like naming her Trumpet or something.

I do not like this name and it is dumb. It is a violin for Pete's sake. Why not choose a better name, such as Alexandria or Bob?

Who on Earth would name their girl Bob? And by the way, Viola is after the flower, not after violin.

Viola makes me think of a violin.