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Minola
How to Pronounce Minola
Pronounced mih-NOH-luh /mɪˈnoʊ.lə/Low
Meaning: Minola has two honest strands. It is best known as a surname in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, where Baptista Minola is father to Katherine and Bianca, so it carries a literary flavor. As an early twentieth-century American girl's name it also reads in the -ola family alongside Minnie and Lola. Its exact meaning is uncertain, and we note both sources.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Minola carries a literary echo: in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Minola is the surname of Baptista and his daughters Katherine and Bianca. As an early-1900s American given name it also fits the soft -ola family of Minnie and Lola. We treat its meaning as uncertain and note both the stage source and the period sound.
Minola was never common, reaching only about fourteen girls a year around 1920 before fading. A girl named Minola then would be a great-grandmother today, her name a vintage curiosity with a Shakespearean ring that has not returned to use.
Variations
Nicknames
Famous Bearers
- ★Baptista Minola (fictional)Character in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, father of Katherine and Bianca; Minola is the family surname.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Minola mean?
Its meaning is uncertain; it is the Minola family surname in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and also reads in the vintage -ola family of Minnie and Lola.
How do you pronounce Minola?
It is commonly said mih-NOH-luh /mɪˈnoʊ.lə/ - three syllables, stress on the middle.
Is Minola a boy or girl name?
Minola is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Minola?
It was always rare, given to only about fourteen girls a year at its peak around nineteen-twenty, and it has not since returned.