Iola’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Iola
Give Iola a notebook that's unmistakably hers. Iola's Notebook has her name in elegant script over a pink watercolor apple blossom cover.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Iola's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
Where does the name Iola come from?
Iola is an English name that is probably a variant of Iole, a Greek name meaning “violet”. In Greek mythology, Iole was the daughter of King Eurytus of Oechalia, who promised her to whoever could beat him and his sons in an archery contest. Heracles won, but the king refused to let him marry her. So Iola is, quietly, a flower name, and a fitting one for a notebook covered in blossom.
Other forms of Iola
Iola is already short, so most Iolas keep it as it is. Its closest relative is the Greek original, Iole, which is also used in Italian. The same violet root turns up in Iolanthe, the name Gilbert and Sullivan gave to their 1882 comic opera. Don’t confuse it with Iolanda, the Italian and Portuguese form of Yolanda, though even that one probably goes back to a word for “violet”.
Well-known Iolas
The best-known Iola is a pen name. Journalist and civil rights pioneer Ida B. Wells wrote her early newspaper articles as “Iola”, attacking Jim Crow laws. Welsh actress Iola Gregory was a familiar face as Jean McGurk in the S4C soap Pobol y Cwm, and British actress Iola Evans appeared in Choose or Die and the series Washington Black.
Iola’s popularity
Iola is a genuine vintage find. Behind the Name’s chart of US Social Security data shows it in the US top 1,000 every year from 1880 to 1945, with its best showing at 264th in 1907. It hasn’t ranked since, so today it is rare enough that an Iola is unlikely to share her name with anyone in her class. (Official records: ssa.gov baby names.)
A few more things about Iola
The city of Iola, Kansas, was named in 1859 after Iola Colborn, the wife of one of the town’s founders, and there are towns called Iola in Wisconsin, Texas and Illinois too. In fiction, Iola Leroy (1892) by Frances Harper is one of the first novels published by an African American woman, and Hardy Boys readers will remember Iola Morton, Joe Hardy’s girlfriend.
Gift ideas with Iola in mind
- For a writer or journalist. Ida B. Wells did her early writing as “Iola”. A fitting home for articles, essays and ideas.
- For someone who loves purple. Her name probably means “violet”, so pair it with a purple pen or a bunch of violets.
- For a book club. Reading notes for Iola Leroy, a landmark novel with her name in the title.
- For a vintage-name fan. A gift for the parents of a little Iola, or the Iola who loves her old-fashioned name.
A notebook for every Iola
Iola’s Notebook works just as well for a teenager as for a grandmother. It’s 6" x 9", which fits in most bags, with 160 lined pages and no printed layout to work around. Use it as a diary, a school notebook, a planner or a place to collect quotes and ideas. A name on the cover turns an everyday notebook into something personal.
Why choose a personalized notebook?
A plain notebook is useful. One with her name on it is a gift. Seeing “Iola’s Notebook” on the cover tells Iola it was chosen for her, not grabbed off a shelf, and that small touch is often what makes people keep a notebook going instead of abandoning it after a week.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Iola’s Notebook? 6" x 9", or about 15.2 x 22.9 cm. It’s a paperback with 160 lined pages inside.
Where do I buy it? Iola’s Notebook is available on Amazon, which prints each copy to order and looks after delivery and refunds.
Do you have other names? We do, hundreds of them. Browse all name notebooks or read how to find a name on our personalized name notebooks page.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Iola's Notebook is published by Black Stag Publishing.