Entry № 1483 · English, German origin

Lula Lula — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ LOO-lah /
Gender
Girl
Origin
English, German
Meaning
"Famous warrior / pearl (Lula Washington, dance pioneer)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 0
First recorded
Modern (English)

A name that means "famous warrior / pearl (lula washington, dance pioneer)".

Lula is a 19th-century American diminutive — variously of Louise (Germanic "famous warrior"), Lucille (Latin "light"), or Tallulah. **A top-100 US baby name from 1880 to 1903, peaking at #65 in 1882**. **Lula Washington (born 1951)** — **American dancer and choreographer; founder of the Lula Washington Dance Theatre (1980) in South Central Los Angeles — one of the few African American modern-dance institutions in the western United States; choreographed movement for James Cameron's *Avatar* (2009) creating the Na'vi dances**. **Lula Carson McCullers** — birth name of novelist Carson McCullers (*The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter*, 1940). **Lula Mae Hardaway (1930-2006)** — mother of Stevie Wonder; co-wrote several of his hits including "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (1970). **Lula Borges** — Brazilian musician. **"Lula"** is the universal nickname of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil (2003-2010, 2023-present), though as a male reference. **Lula (2004 film)**. **Lula in David Lynch's *Wild at Heart* (1990)** — Laura Dern's character opposite Nicolas Cage; the film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Featured throughout American cultural history.

Famous warrior / pearl. Lula Washington choreographed the Na'vi dances in James Cameron's Avatar (2009).

The name in its native script.

Lula
Transliteration
Lula
Pronunciation
/ ˈluː.lə /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Lula stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 0 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 65 in 1882
Babies named Lula · last year
130 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #65 NOW · —

Lulas before her.

Real people
Lula Washington
American dance pioneer.
born 1951
Lula Mae Hardaway
Songwriter, mother of Stevie Wonder.
1930 – 2006
In fiction
Lula
Wild at Heart.
1990

Names connected to Lula.

The number behind Lula.

7

The Seeker

Lula reduces to seven — the number of dance pioneer.

Why families chose this name.

"Washington's pearl. Four letters. Lula."
Eleanor · Mother of one · Los Angeles