The baby name Lula belongs with so many great Lu- names. It feels less formal than Louisa, but not quite as casual as Lulu.
Thanks to Felecia for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME LULA MEAN?
The baby name Lula almost certainly started out as a nickname for Louisa and Louise.
That connects sweet little Lula to a sprawling family of names, all leading back to the Germanic Ludwig. Ludwig means “famous in battle.”
That makes this flirty little name a choice fit for a warrior.
Of course, the baby name Lula sounds like a Lucy-meets-Lola mash-up. And it could be short for at least a dozen Lu- names, like Tallulah, Eloise, or Lucia, all with their own meanings and origins.
VINTAGE LULA
The baby name Lula appeared in the US Top 100 from 1880 through 1911, and remained in the US Top 1000 into the 1960s.
It picked up a decidedly Southern flair, thanks to famous figures like:
- It’s the birth name of celebrated Southern author Carson McCullers.
- In Breakfast at Tiffany’s, we learn that Holly Golightly started out life as Lula Mae Barnes.
- There’s a minor figure by the name in To Kill a Mockingbird.
- Laura Dern was Lula in Wild At Heart, a 1990 David Lynch movie also starring Nicolas Cage. The movie takes place in the American South, based on a novel by Barry Gifford. Gifford continued the couple’s story in additional novels.
- A small town in Georgia bears the name. Apparently, the engineers building the railroad in the 1870s were taken with a local beauty, Miss Louise – or maybe Mary Louise – Phinizy. Her nickname inspired the place name.
Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps first recorded rockabilly anthem “Be-Bop-a-Lula” in 1956. At least a dozen others have covered it. While Vincent is singing about a girl, he probably chose the name simply because it worked – and, of course, would have been familiar as a woman’s name at the time.
Lula is also the given name of Stevie Wonder’s mother – and his first songwriter. Lula Mae Hardway shared her son’s Grammy nomination for hit single “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
On a more recent note, Pitbull sings about a girl by the name in his single “El Taxi,” from his Grammy-winning 2015 album.
CELEBRITIES LOVE LULA
After years of obscurity, the baby name Lula slowly started to stage a comeback.
In 1994, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore reigned as the hottest celebrity baby namers of the decade. They’d welcomed Rumer in 1988 and Scout in 1991 before third daughter, Tallulah Belle, arrived. She prefers the nickname Lula.
In 2016, Liv Tyler gave the name to her youngest child and only daughter, a sister to Sailor and Milo.
Chances are that it’s the rise of so many Lu- names that gets credit for this change. Louisa, Louise, Lucia, Luciana, Lucy, Luella, Luna, and Luz are just a few of the trending Lou names at the moment.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME LULA?
Between the mid-1990s and the 2010s, the baby name Lula slowly increased in use.
In 2016, over 100 girls received the name for the first time since the 1960s. In 2023, 110 girls were named Lula.
That’s still fairly uncommon, but not completely unknown.
In Brazil, the baby name Lula is a little different. It serves as a short form of Luiz. President Luiz da Silva answers to the nickname.
PROMISING POSSIBILITY
The baby name Lola feels vintage, Southern, and slightly offbeat. If you love Mae and Pearl, Sadie and Ruby, this might belong on your list, too.
If you’re after something as friendly and informal as Molly or Daisy, but far less frequently heard, consider Lula.
What do you think of the baby name Lula?
The original version of this post was published on November 7, 2013. It was revised on September 27, 2017 and August 30, 2024.
It is also the name of a well-know Brazilian politician. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiz_In%C3%A1cio_Lula_da_Silva
Lula or Blythe??? so torn for a thrid baby girl name. Have a Forrest (son) and Salem (daughter) so far. Lula is a family name on my side that my husband doesn’t love and Blythe is just something we both like, although he is not totally in love with either:( also scared about a third child which might be park of it. Planning to use Alice as middle name, for his Mom, even though Lula Alice and Blythe Alice are a mouth full… you don’t say them together all that often anyways. HELP!!!!
And let’s not forget about Sailor and Lula in Wild at Heart;) I love Lula and that is my daughters name.
The first Lula I think of is Stephanie Plum’s sidekick in Janet Evanovich’s novels. She’s one heck of a lady…if any one else has read the books.
A worthy addition to the list! Thanks, Kimberley.
My name is Lula boo!
I love Lula- and pondered it for this baby on the way- but it was a name of one of my grandmother’s dear friends, and since I am using my grandmother’s name in the middle spot, I didn’t want her to feel trumped by Lula! (We have settled on Alice Joyzelle.)
Alice Joyzelle is a gorgeous name, Helen!
I name my chickens names that I hope to hear on more children someday. One of my hens is named Tallulah. I often call her by her nickname Lula Beth.
You must have some fabulously named chickens!
I swear, image search is the bane of my naming existence. A questionable picture can completely ruin a name for me, because I just know a future child will at some point google their own name. I remember flirting with the idea of Elske at one point, only to discover that google images for “Elske” are pretty much exclusively women in demeaning positions (and I have filters for these things in place). Sad day…
I do think this is a really pretty name. Lulu is so cutesy for my tastes but Lula is just a touch more serious. I think it would wear well at any age.
I know, right? Happily, I’ve found some amazing images for names on Pinterest. I think this might be my favorite board so far: https://www.pinterest.com/appmtn/persephone-baby-name-of-the-day/
Oh my goodness…I just killed half an hour on your Pinterest, lol! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who scours Etsy for personalized items when I’m bored 😉 What a good idea though, instead of being discouraged by the less than great image searches, why not find the loveliest images possible?
Great timing. Today I found out that I have a great-great aunt called Lula. Her siblings were Jessie, Nellie, Mary, Robert, John “Johnny” and Alexander “Sandy.”
What a great sibset!
Just been on a camping trip w 180 friends and 70 kid. Including many a lulu. Elura, Iluka, Louis, Luca and Elula. All nicknamed lulu.