Lola

Rouge, a raised eyebrow, and an entire century of cabaret in two syllables — Lola has always known what it was doing. The name is a Spanish pet form of Dolores, from the Marian title Maria de los Dolores, "Mary of the Sorrows," which is about as far from the name's actual personality as etymology can travel. The devotional origin simply did not hold. Lola Montez, the Irish-born dancer who conquered Bavarian politics in the 1840s, was the first to suggest where the name was really headed.

The Kinks' 1970 hit cemented the association; the showgirl of Damn Yankees had already done part of the work. Lola came back to the US top 1000 in the early 2000s and has climbed steadily, now at rank 273, finding a new life among parents who want vintage warmth without Victorian stiffness. It shares the chart with Lucille and Talia, names that have made similar journeys from grandmother's era to current nursery.

Two syllables pivot on the repeated L: Lo- opens round and warm, -la mirrors it exactly. The palindromic sound gives the name its particular bounce. Against Lucille, Talia, or Leila, Lola reads as the one least interested in sitting still. The girl who takes up exactly as much space as the room allows and makes every adult in it slightly more awake for her presence.