Cf. also Violet and Yolanda.

While some claim that Shakespeare invented the name for his play 'Twelfth Night', the name was already in use before then, and its inclusion in the play follows his common practice of adopting Italian or Italianate names. The name was also moderately popular in Hungary.

Hungary

Latin

● 1321 wyola (nom) Slíz p. 502, s.n. Wyola; 1324 Viola (nom) CDH-VIII-II CCLXX, Violae (gen) ibid. CCLXX; 1340 Iwola (abl) Jakubovich p. 366; 1341 yuola (acc) ibid. p. 366; 1344 Viola (nom) AO-vol4 p. 442; 1346 Wyola (nom) Jakubovich p. 426; 1355 vyola (acc) ibid. p. 426; 16thC viola (acc) ibid. p. 426

Italy

Latin

● 1304 Viola (nom) AnnMin6 XII; 1522x1532 Viola (nom) DSF p. 56, 9

Spain

Spanish

● 1576 Viola Catalogo-5.2 4024

Ukraine

Latin

● 1479 Volya (unc) AGZ-18 CVIII-1307, Vyolya (abl) ibid. CVIII-1306, Wolya (unc) ibid. CVIII-1306, Wyola (abl) ibid. CVIII-1307