How to say it
mag · NO · li · a
/mæɡˈnoʊ.li.ə/
Feminine
Magnolia
Magnolia flower
What it means
English name of the flowering tree, named for the 17th-century French botanist Pierre Magnol. The tree is native to the American South, where it became a regional symbol.
Magnolia is the English name of the flowering tree, named in honor of the 17th-century French botanist Pierre Magnol. The tree itself is native to the American South and East Asia; in the US South it became a regional symbol (the magnolia is the state flower of both Mississippi and Louisiana). As a given name Magnolia is a 21st-century revival of the broader vintage flower-name wave (Daisy, Violet, Lily). Steel Magnolias (1989) gave the name a Southern-women anchor. It surged with Joanna Gaines naming her daughter Magnolia in 2018, then Magnolia Market and the Magnolia Network. It's been in the US top 500 since 2017. Maggie is the standard short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #124 in 2025, currently #124 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Maggie is the standard short (shared with Margaret), and Nola is the rising alternate.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Steel Magnolias 1989 film about Southern women in Louisiana, the cultural anchor for the name
- Magnolia Gaines Daughter of Chip and Joanna Gaines (Fixer Upper); Joanna's branding made the name a 2010s touchstone
Spelling variants
- Magnola
Names with the same feeling
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