Iolanthe

eye-oh-lan-thee, ee-oh-lan-thee, or yo-lan-thee
Greek
"violet flower"

Iolanthe Origin and Meaning

The name Iolanthe is a girl's name of French, Greek origin meaning "violet flower".

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.

# 1068 on Nameberry

Iolanthe Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Iolanthe Popularity

Iolanthe in Pop Culture

  • "Iolanthe; orThe Peer and the Peri," comic opera by Gilbert & Sullivan
  • Iolanthecharacter in play "King René’s Daughter" by Henrik Hertz, based on Yolande, Duchess of Lorraine
  • Iolanthecoven name Sydney Sage chooses in Richelle Mead's "Bloodlines" series
  • Iolanthe Peverellcharacter in J.K. Rowling's "The Potter Family"