This post was originally published on March 18, 2010. It was substantially revised and re-posted on July 17, 2014.
She’s a pretty botanical choice with appealing nickname options.
Thanks to Lyndsay for suggesting Magnolia as Name of the Day.
Back in the nineteenth century and right into the 1930s, girls named Magnolia weren’t shocking. The name regularly appeared in the US Top 1000, which meant that it was given to a few dozen newborns annually.
As so many names do, Magnolia faded – a never-too-popular choice quietly slipping in use.
If there were ever a moment for Magnolia to make a comeback, it is now:
- Parents are wild about nature names, from the traditional flowers to more adventurous possibilities. If we’re naming our kids Cedar and Sky, Magnolia is a possibility.
- That great nickname Maggie has been heard in fashionable circles – Jon Stewart’s daughter is Maggie Rose.
- Her -ia ending is quite stylish, and Magnolia fits in with Sophia, Olivia, and Amelia.
And wouldn’t you know it? Magnolia is back. In 2013, she re-entered the US rankings at #977, at her most popular since 1940.
The name comes from French naturalist Pierre Magnol. He was a teacher and director of the Royal Botanic Garden of Montpellier in the early 1700s. 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 in the 1730s and 40s.
The surname Magnol has proven elusive, so the only meaning you’re likely to find is from the flower.
Speaking of the flower, they’re widespread, with varieties taking root from Asia to the Americas to the West Indies.
The most famous Magnolia might be Edna Ferber’s Magnolia, called Nolie, a river boat captain’s daughter and performer in her 1926 novel Show Boat. Ferber’s novel became a Broadway musical the following year. Today Show Boat might feel like a gentle antique, but in the 1920s, it was groundbreaking. Showboat featured the first racially integrated cast on Broadway, and it also dealt with much weightier issues than was previously the norm for musicals.
Show Boat takes Magnolia to the American South, as does 1989’s Steel Magnolias. The movie was all about the lives of a group of delicate-but-strong Southern ladies – including Julia Roberts in her breakout role.
Southern Living calls it “the essential Southern plant.” Houston, Texas has been called “The Magnolia City” and Mississippi is “The Magnolia State.” A number of gracious, historic homes bear the name throughout the American South.
In the Victorian language of flowers, magnolias were said to signify dignity, nobility, perseverance – good qualities, all.
Possible nicknames range from friendly Maggie to sassy Nola. Meg, Nolia, and Nolie are options, too.
I’m curious how she reads in the UK, where Magnolia is a rather ordinary shade of white.
While some floral names read bold – think of Lotus or Azalea – Magnolia is rather lady-like, without sacrificing an air of resilience and capability.
Overall, Magnolia makes for a lovely antique, ready for revival. She’s graceful and surprising, easy to wear but relatively rare – at least for now.
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Baby Name of the Day: Nolia
No. Just…no. It makes me think of the Tom Cruise movie.
This is one I’d not thought about before. I do like flower names and I do like the nickname Maggie a lot. I don’t know anything about the plant or the movie, but my first thought is “Steel Magnolias” which doesn’t sound so pretty.
I’d like to meet a little Magnolia.
Well I just found a 2 year old Magnolia whilst looking at a friend’s Facebook photos. From the photo captions, her nickname is Noli. 🙂
My name is Magnolia and my Nickname is NOLY too!
never heard of any other Magnolia being called Noli. I haven’t meet a Magnolia yet actually
correction:
haven’t met a Magnolia yet 🙂
If my husband had been a girl, his mother was set on naming him Magnolia. (This was back in 1979.) I was stunned when she told me – the name didn’t instantly appeal, and I had never heard of anyone named Magnolia before. But it has grown on me and I can see the appeal if you are after a name that has a dignified, reserved, elegant feel (I think it’s like Rose in that respect), but with cute nicknames to boot. (LOVE Meg, Maggie and Nola.) For my mother in law, the appeal came from it being her favourite flower. I like it after some consideration, but I still don’t like it enough to use it. I much prefer the cute/sweet/delicate flower names like Lily and Violet – although, alas, they are far too ubiquitous these days.
Fascinating! Does your husband have sisters? I’d love to know their names!
No, he doesn’t! He’s an only child. Well, he has half-siblings, but they don’t share the same mother, so their names don’t reflect her tastes. His first name is Taioma (“Ty-oh-ma”), which is a Maori name meaning running with the tide. (He does not have any Maori heritage, but she liked the name.)
I’ve loved Maggie ever since Janine Turner starred in Northern Exposure. It’s a wonderful nickname for Magnolia. Nola and Nia are very nice nicknames, too. This name would be lovely for a baby girl born in June, as the Magnolia is in full bloom by mid-June.
I saw a Poinsettia online the other day; I wonder if she was a Christmas baby. If we can have Rose, Daisy, Fern, Lily, Violet, Cherry, Jasmine, et al, then surely there is room for Magnolia.
Mia is another great idea, Joy – thanks! And Pointsettia – that’s a little trickier to wear. What do you call her for short? Setta, maybe …
And I love Fern!
What about Tia? And I love Jasmine!
Oh, I love it 🙂 It’s another one of those southern belle names that I have a huge soft spot for. I love how it’s such an elegant, beautiful first name with such spunky and friendly nicknames like Maggie, Nola and Lia.
I love Magnolia. Magnolias are my favorite flowers, so I have wanted to use this name for a long time. I thinks it’s pretty. I like Maggie as a nickname, but Nola is pretty, too. I would definately use this as first name, and it would make a cute middle name, too.
As a name and a flower it’s a bit over the top for me. Plus there’s the pronunciation issue, is it mag-nohl-yuh or mag-noh-lee-uh?
Pretty flower and a pretty name, but not on my child.
You’re right, Julie – it’s both. I say it with three syllables, but you’d hear four, too. And with four, it’s just too much name for me – but then again, Isabella isn’t hurt by being four syllables long!
Ah, I’d only thought of it with four syllables: Mag-noh-lee-ah which is 1 or 2 too many for me usually.
I don’t know. It’s just a bit much for me. I’m also tired of Maggie, so that doesn’t help the cause. There are SO MANY Maggies around here!!
I’m on the fence about Magnolia. I like it in theory – adore the magnolia tree (planted one in the yard as soon as we moved in), like the southern reference (for a true southerner moreso than for myself, a transplant), and love the nn possibilities with it (I’d add Aggie, Mia, Nia, Lia, and at a stretch Malia)… but the actual sound of Magnolia feels long for a name, somehow. I’m more inclined to use Zinnia or Azalea as an out-there floral, myself. Still, I’d love to meet a Magnolia. It’s hard to believe that there haven’t been many – perhaps I should champion it to my child-bearing friends who are natives down here!
JNE, my mother has a colleague with a granddaughter Azalea. It’s really grown on me!
I know a 4 year old Azaylia.
It’s weird, most nature name I do actually like as they seem fresh and evoke positive connotations. Magnolia always seemed vintage-ish to me. It’s nature vintage lol. (actually West is the same as it peaked in the 1880s) But, I’ve never really gone for it. It’s pretty, but not amazing.
I don’t like -Mag names at all & never have.A possible reason is because of the Afrikaans pronunciation of some.Either way, most -Mag names have always sounded so heavy & non-approachable to me. I do LOVE Nola, though & Meg/Maggie are cute.I wouldn’t ever use Maggie as I’d prefer it as a NN & gave up Megan years ago after I met 3 Megans in one day at a birthday party
The Victorian era connotation of Magnolias is lovely.Overall, it’s nice but not one I’d ever consider or am particularly drawn to.Great on someone else’s kid,though
I was really surprised to realize just how much Magnolia had been used here! And yes, Megan is worn out here, too – too bad.