| ![Show Contents]() Viola History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Early Origins of the Viola familyThe surname Viola was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that county. Early History of the Viola familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Viola research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1106, 1432, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1600, 1634 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Viola History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Viola Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Viola has undergone many spelling variations, including Villet, Villette, Villettes, Violet, Vilett, Vilet, Violett and many more. Early Notables of the Viola familyDistinguished members of the family include Thomas Violet (fl. 1634-1662), English writer on trade, a goldsmith and alderman of London. in 1634, he was imprisoned for twenty weeks in the same year...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Viola Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Viola RankingIn the United States, the name Viola is the 5,014th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Viola is ranked the 8,361st most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2 Migration of the Viola familyTo escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Viola were among those contributors: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..
| Contemporary Notables of the name Viola (post 1700) | + |
- Joseph F. Viola, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 18th District, 1932 3
- John Viola, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Delaware State House of Representatives 26th District; Elected 1998; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 2004 3
- Frank J. Viola, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Bronx, New York, 1966-80 3
- Elayne Viola Jones (1928-2022), African American timpanist, the first Black principal in a major American orchestra in 1972, fourth female member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame
- Viola Irene Desmond (1914-1965), Canadian Civil Rights Advocate, she was unjustly convicted of a minor tax violation for not leaving a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre, Nova Scotia in 1946; she was granted a posthumous pardon, the first to be granted in Canada, she will be featured on the $10 Canadian bank note in 2018
- Viola Knapp Ruffner (1812-1903), American schoolteacher, the second wife of General Lewis Ruffner
- Viola Tunnard, British singer and entertainer who toured troop camps and hospitals in North Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere, a close colleague of Benjamin Britten
- Viola Essen (1917-1961), American born of Romanian parents, rose to beceom a noted dramatic actor
- Viola Smith (1912-2020), née Schmitz, an American drummer best known for her work in orchestras, swing bands, and popular music from the 1920s until 1975, one of the first professional female drummers
- Viola J. Buddington, American politician, First Selectman of Norwich, Connecticut, 1957 4
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