Names That Mean Violet

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan.

Viola has several positive elements going for it: the rhythm of the musical instrument, the association with the flower, the trending 'Vi' beginning and its leading role in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Iolanthe is known primarily through the 1882 Gilbert & Sullivan operetta of that name, in which the title character is a fairy. Iolanthe is a softer version of Yolanda, and is the kind of multi-syllabic classical name once considered too weighty for a modern baby girl, but now within the realm of possibility--this one as a dramatic twist on Violet. The biggest drawback is its variety of legitimate pronunciations in English.

Yolanda conjures up visions of midcentury films like "Yolanda and the Thief," complete with gauzy veils, harem pants, and invisible navels. Iolanthe, with the first syllable pronounced the same as in Yolanda, is a softer version, but most modern parents would opt for the English Violet.

Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that should be ripe for rediscovery.

Violeta is the variation of Violet found throughout Eastern Europe -- the name is styled this way in Bulgarian and Roumanian as well as other languages -- and Spain, while Violetta is the Italian form. Violeta re-entered the Top 1000 in 2018. The Violetta spelling is given to about half as many baby girls. A lovely choice for parents who love Violet but want something more unusual.

Siggy can be a short form of any name that starts with Sig-. Most Sig- names have Germanic origins, like the Scandinavian names Signe and Sigrid. In this context, Siggy means "victory".

This perky Spanish nickname deserves to be more popular. Singer Michael Bublé recently used it as one of the middle names for his daughter Cielo, which may give Yoli a boost.

The Japanese equivalent of Violet, common among Millennial and Gen Z Japanese women.

In modern Hebrew, sigal is the word for the violet flower.

A lovely V starting boy name derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the sweet violet flower.

More distinct than Violet, Viola, or Violeta — Violina has an indisputably beautiful and romantic sound.

A lyrical, and very rare, hidden flower name.

One of a number of similar forms of the "violet" name family used throughout Europe — others include Yolanda, Violante and Iolanthe.

The Czech word for the violet flower would make for a sweet and quirky nature name for a baby girl.

A Slavic name that could easily blend in.

A sweet and feminine Italian name almost unheard of here.

One of the few masculine names that derived from a feminine one.

Derived from viorea, the Romanian word for the sweet violet flower. Former Romanian prime minister Viorica Dănicilă is a famous bearer.

Medieval Hungarian and Medieval Ukrainian cognate of Viola, a lovely Latinate flower name.