Lola (given name)

Lola is a feminine given name and nickname in the Romance languages, and other language groups. It is a hypocoristic form of the Spanish name Dolores, meaning "sorrows", taken from one of the titles of the Virgin Mary: Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, or Our Lady of Sorrows. The term Lola is used as an affectionate or honorific term for an elderly woman (a grandmother) in the Philippines. (Synonyms include; lola, impo, lelang, mamang). This is used coinciding with the male honorific of Lolo (Syn.; lolo, apo, lelong, tatang). Lola is also a short form of the unrelated German name Aloisia. The name Lola is also common in Africa; in Nigeria, many feminine Yoruba names are shortened to Lola, such as Temilola, Omolola, Loletha or Damilola. Lola (Tajik for tulip) is also a feminine name in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. It is derived from the Persian لاله or lâleh. Lola is also used as a short form of the name Karolina, which was especially popular in use in the 1920s in Poland and is still used. It is also a form of Carol and Charlotte. Though the name originated with a title for Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, Lola has also acquired a number of contrasting sensual associations. American authors Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz noted in their 2008 book Cool Names for Babies that the name has a sultry image and that people associate the name with the song "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets" from the musical Damn Yankees, in which the character of Lola is the Devil's "best homewrecker". The name also has associations with the Irish-born Lola Montez, who became famous in the nineteenth century as an actress, Spanish dancer, courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Lolita is a Spanish diminutive form of...