Magnolia: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Magnolia shares the appeal of Daisy and Rose, but with a more elaborate and surprising vibe.

Thanks to Lyndsay for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME MAGNOLIA MEAN?

The simplest answer to this question: the magnolia flower takes its name from French botanist Pierre Magnol.

What does Magnol mean? It’s impossible to pin down. Some connect it to Magnus, a Late Latin name meaning great. But that feels like folk etymology. More than one Scandinavian name includeds the element magn, meaning strength, in Old Norse. Magnhild and Magnill look a little bit like Magnol, but again, there’s no connection.

A teacher by training, Magnol led the Royal Botanic Garden of Montpellier in the early 1700s. (It’s the oldest botanic garden in France.) His student, Charles Plumier, named the flowering tree in honor of his professor. The name stuck, and Carl Linnaeus used it in his definitive guides to plants, written in the 1730s and 40s.

ABOUT THE FLOWER

Speaking of the flower, they’re widespread, with varieties taking root from Asia to the Americas to the West Indies.

Magnolias are cousin to nutmeg and avocado, but we think of them as showy, dramatic blooms.

In the Victorian language of flowers, magnolias were said to signify dignity, nobility, perseverance – good qualities, all. They’re also associated with innocence and purity, longevity and endurance. 

Most magnolias come in shades of white and pink, though yellow is seen, too. Also worth noting: in the UK, “magnolia” refers to a very basic shade of white.

SOUTHERN CHARM

In the US, the baby name Magnolia exudes Southern charm.

Southern Living calls the flower “quintessentially Southern.” It’s associated with several places, including:

• Houston, Texas has been called “The Magnolia City”
• Mississippi is “The Magnolia State”
• It’s also the state flower of Louisiana

Another powerful  reason might be Edna Ferber’s 1926 novel Show Boat, which was quickly adopted as a Broadway musical. Set on the Mississippi River, Show Boat focused on Magnolia – nickname Nolie – the daughter of a riverboat captain and a talented performer.

Today the show seems like a gentle antique, but it was groundbreaking in the 1920s. Show Boat featured the first racially integrated cast on Broadway, and it also dealt with much weightier issues than was previously the norm for musicals.

More recently, The CW’s Hart of Dixie gave us Magnolia Breeland, daughter of Brick and younger sister to Lemon. The show adds one more Southern state to the roster. The show takes place in fictional Bluebell, Alabama. 

There’s also Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias, set in South Carolina. It’s about a group of long-time friends.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

But the strongest pop culture association might be a 1989 movie: Steel Magnolias.

Focused on the lives and friendship of a group of women in a small, Souther town, it’s still a favorite so many years later. Part of it was the star-studded cast: Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts in her breakout role as Shelby. 

MORE MAGNOLIAS IN POP CULTURE

A handful of minor references include a character called Magnolia Arch in the video game Bravely Second: End Layer.

A string of celebrity birth announcements also help boost the name:

• No Doubt drummer Adrian Young welcomed a daughter named Magnolia in 2011.
• Hoobastank singer Doug Robbe wrote a song titled “Magnolia” for his daughter by the name in 2012.
• The daughter of actress Bianca Kajilich and Michael Catherwood is also Magnolia, born in 2014. 
• Reality television’s Terra Jole named her daughter Magnolia in 2020.

All of these uses pale compared to another high profile Magnolia – only this one wasn’t a person at all.

MAGNOLIA HOME

Chip and Joanna Gaines became famous as the hosts of HGTV series Fixer Upper. She’s an interior decorator; he started flipping houses while still in college. 

The couple started their business in Waco, Texas. When the show began in 2013, it was set there, too.

In 2016, they launched a magazine called Magnolia Journal. Between 2015 and 2016, the baby name Magnolia leapt over 100 spots in the US Top 1000. It gained another 100 places in 2017. That’s the year the couple launched their Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection for Target.

They’ve since launched a media company by the name.

The Gaines keep Magnolia distinctively Southern but bring it into the 2020s.  

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME MAGNOLIA?

Flower names for our daughters have plenty of history. 

It’s easy to think of women named Lily and Violet.

While the baby name Magnolia is far less common, it did appear in the US Top 1000 for girls from the 1880s through the 1930s. During the early 1900s, the name ranked in the Top 500 – but just barely. It never quite caught on as a first name.

Instead, Magnolia faded. It returned to the popularity charts in the year 2013. 

What fueled the name’s resurgence?

• We’re wild for nature names, from novelties like Cedar and Sky to one that feel more gently old-fashioned.
• Girl names ending with IA and LIA are popular – just Olivia, Sophia, and Amelia.
• Magnolia shortens to Maggie – or Meg, Nola, Noli, Lola, or Lia, for starters. 

The name has continued to rise, thanks to a mix of pop culture references and a stylish, compelling sound.

As of 2023, the baby name Magnolia reached an all-time high of #142 in the US.

STRENGTH and GRACE

Lovely, antique Magnolia splits the difference between bold, showy botanicals – think Azalea or Lotus – and more familiar favorites, like Daisy.

There’s a strength and grace to Magnolia, too. 

It’s a nod to Southern roots, a pretty choice with a backbone of – what else? – steel, and still just slightly unexpected.

What do you think of the baby name Magnolia?

This post was originally published on March 18, 2010. It was substantially revised and re-posted on July 17, 2014 and December 5, 2024.