Lola

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

So, what does everyone think of the name Lola? I've become quite smitten with it recently. My only reservations regarding it are that, first of all, it feels like it should be a nickname. I checked around online, and I've found that it's commonly used as a nickname for Dolores, which I really, really am not fond of. Secondly, it is very much a Spanish name, and I am very much not Hispanic. Would that seem "weird" or "off" to you guys?

And, just as a standard disclaimer - I am not pregnant, nor do I plan on having children any time soon. I just love names. A lot.

[Poll #716987]

Comments

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

I can see the appeal, though it's nms. Does remind me of the song, which is a great song but possibly not the best association.

Do think it's OK to stands alone, there other similiar* names that are reasonably common so it would be too noticeable.

Hmm it should be fine, people are more open to using names from other cultures. It may sound a bit odd for a blond blue-eyed girl, but a brunette [of any ethnicity] could carry it off.

*Lila, Lily, Lisa, Lucy etc

[maude.livejournal.com]

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl...

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

I've never heard that song/poem/story before...

[maude.livejournal.com]

Really? It's "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow. It's pretty famous. :)

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar
Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?

At the Copa, Copacabana
The hottest spot north of Havana
At the Copa, Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....they fell in love

His name was Rico, he wore a diamond
He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancin' there
And when she finished, he called her over
But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar
And then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two
There was blood and a single gun shot
But just who shot who?

At the Copa , Copacabana
The hottest spot north of Havana
At the Copa, Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....she lost her love

(Copa. . Copacabana)
(Copa Copacabana) (Copacabana, ahh ahh ahh ahh)
(Ahh ahh ahh ahh Copa Copacabana)
(Talking Havana have a banana)
(Music and passion...always the fash--shun)

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl
But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show
Now it's a disco, but not for Lola
Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair
She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony
Now she's lost her mind!

At the Copa, Copacabana
The hottest spot north of Havana
At the Copa, Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....don't fall in love

Don't fall in love
Copacabana
Copacabana

Hahaha. But yeah, that's what Lola makes me think of.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Oh. Manilow is probably slightly before my time, I think. I only know "Mandy".

[arbus.livejournal.com]

thats the song i immediately thought of, yea. its a name that popped into my head recently for some reason, and i really love it. i dont think its a nickname at all, obviously it could pass for one, but i think it stands on its own in its own right, definitely.

[dancing-crazy.livejournal.com]

Such a heartwarming story.

[dancing-crazy.livejournal.com]

Lola very is cute, but to me, it's a nickname. It doesn't really have to be a nickname for Dolores; people do wacky stuff with names and nickanmes anyway, and just like Kiki is a nickname for pretty much any name beginning with a K, you can make Lola a nickname for anything L-ish, from Laura to Elizabeth, and people will still accept it. I have a friend named Elizabeth whose nickname is Thea. I honestly think giving a child a full name is a wonderful idea because it gives them options, especially with a name that's "cute" like Lola.

I think Lorraine is a lovely name, and Lola can make a perfectly reasonable nickname for that.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I like the suggestion above, if it sounds like a nickname to you. But I love Hispanic names, and I'm not Hispanic at all. I do speak Spanish though. I also think short and simple names are lovely, and Lola is beautiful to me as a full name.

I love all the names that sound like it too:

Layla
Lila (remember sweet valley high? I was obsessed with this name forever!)
Lily

[anapology.livejournal.com]

omg i remember the unicorns, and they always wore purple... i loved sweet valley high!

[hitzpink.livejournal.com]

Lola and Layla just sound so stripper-ish to me.

[ouronlylight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in the US, both Kelly Ripa and Denise Richards named their daughters Lola, but they both have Hispanic husbands.

There's a song?

[anapology.livejournal.com]

Kate Moss' daughter is called Lila Grace.

[museofmyself.livejournal.com]

I don't think it matters one bit what your ethnicity is, the important thing is that you love the name. That being said, I quite like the name Lola but it seems awfully trendy right now, especially among the celebs. It makes me crazy when a name I love becomes popular, like my daughter's name, Lily. Grrrrr! ;)

[imyourrapunzel.livejournal.com]

Lola isn't on my list of favorites, but I don't dislike it either. I think it's fine on its own. Also, I am babysitting a blonde haired blue-eyed girl named Lola, so I don't really think it matters that you don't have a Hispanic background, it's a common name these days.

[secret-x-stars.livejournal.com]

i almost got the nickname Lola once! my name is Lorelei, so it sort of works. :)

i wish someone would actually use it, i think it's cute sometimes.

[krosp.livejournal.com]

I didn't realise it was a Hispanic name. The only Lola I know is an old lady, caucasian, here in Australia. We don't really have the same cultural divisions over here as in the US so there isn't really as much of a "Hispanic" ethnic group here. I don't know how the Lola I know got her name, but I'm sure she has an English sort of background.

It sounds like a completely reasonable name to me, apart from the songs, but if you are unsure about it, you could look around for a name you love which could have Lola as a nickname, like others suggested, and if you just can't find anything you like enough to use, go with Lola on its own.

[arbus.livejournal.com]

absolutely love it.

if you want to use it as a nickname, have you considered naming the child something like: louisa lauren, something that would easily nick down to lola? just a thought.

[ilovehounds.livejournal.com]

madonna's daughter's name is lourdes, but she goes by lola. kelly ripa's daughter is lola.

i like it and i don't think it sounds "too spanish" for a non-hispanic girl. it's just pretty and simple.

[solyma.livejournal.com]

i didn't realize it was a hispanic name. in fact the first image that comes to mind when i hear that name is lindsay lohan's character in "confessions of a teenage drama queen" and she's not hispanic. i also don't think it has to be a nickname, but if you want it to be, here are other full name ideas: lolicia, lolita, lorea, loreen, lorena and lorinda.

[the-theorist.livejournal.com]

I MUCH prefer Layla

[trissyd.livejournal.com]

I love Layla/Laila/Leila ... yum.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

Me too. And I love the song.

[timed.livejournal.com]

I think it's kind of cute, though it seems more fitting for a dog than for a girl.

[mountain-nest.livejournal.com]

whatever Lola wants.... Lola gets...

[angelwifey.livejournal.com]

try leila instead.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of Lola's, none of hispanic background. I think it's beautiful... It does kind of sound like a nickname, but it's one of those that could be used for any name beginning with an 'L'... sort of like Kiki can be given to anyone beginning with a 'K'

I actually prefer it to Lila/Lily

[kindofquixotic.livejournal.com]

All I think of is the Kinks song about the transvestite.

[thunderofsins.livejournal.com]

I had a rabbit about 3 years ago that I named Lola, so thats what I always think of, but i do like the name

[mysticamor.livejournal.com]

I love Lola as a first name. I have a friend named Chris...not christopher just Chris. Fred...not Frederick just Fred. Kathy not Katherine just Kathy. So I don't see why Lola couldn't be a first name instead of a nickname.

[elemmennope.livejournal.com]

I love it. I'm sure there are other names that it could be used as a nn for -- Elodie, Chloe... what else has a "lo" sound in it?

Yeah, it's kind of celebrity trendy, but it's still a nice spunky name.

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

Lola is too short and too plain. It sounds so incomplete.

[lolzabeth.livejournal.com]

I get called Lola by one of my friends....although it's usually sung as follows...

Her name was Lola, she was a pornstar...

My friends are wierd but it does make me think of Lola Ferrari (Euro trash woman)

[cathkitten.livejournal.com]

Lola reminds me of 1) the song about the transvestite, and 2) the book about the young nymph who seduces an older man. Either way, not such a positive connotation!