The name Violet is quite popular in America and Britain, and I try to stay away from popular names, however, I am in love with the name Viola. I love the Shakespeare and musical references, but I am worried about using the name with Violet being so popular. I feel similarly with the name Aurelie (French pronunciation), with Aurelia on the rise, and Mathilde, with Matilda being popular. What are your thoughts?
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I love [name_f]Viola[/name_f]. It was my #1 name for a while. I pronounce them differently (vi-OH-la vs VI-oh-let) and I think they’re different enough in meaning and origin that it’s ok. They’re separate names so it’s different enough. You may get people thinking it’s [name_f]Violet[/name_f] and having to correct them.
For [name_f]Aurelie[/name_f] vs [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f], I also pronounce them differently (AU-reh-lee vs au-REH-lia) so they’re different enough to me. You may also get people thinking it’s [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] since it’s more popular.
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] vs [name_f]Mathilde[/name_f] I pronounce the same so they aren’t exactly different. They’ll look different on paper but in a room full of Matilda’s [name_f]Mathilde[/name_f] won’t stand out. You’ll probably get lots of misspellings.
I like all three of the names and prefer them to their more popular counterparts, but there are some cons to going with a variation of a popular name. I personally think the pros outweigh the cons but I had to put it out there
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It definitely seems like a completely distinct name to me! Totally separate from [name_f]Violet[/name_f] in my mind!
I feel like they sound separate enough and [name_f]Viola[/name_f] feels surprising still to me. I overheard someone being called [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and it caught my attention
If you’re so worried about poularity I’d say [name_f]Viola[/name_f] is too close to [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. They sound like variations of the same name.
I think of them as pretty separate. Especially pronounced VYE-uh-let and vee-OH-luh, with different beginning vowels and stress in different places.
A [name_f]Viola[/name_f] may have her name misread for [name_f]Violet[/name_f] on a roll sheet… but that’s true vice versa, and true for any two similar names.
If you adore [name_f]Viola[/name_f], I say go for it! 
I do think it depends slightly on how you pronounce it. The Shakespearean character is VYE-uh-luh, like [name_f]Violet[/name_f] without the -t, so that would feel very close to [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. The musical instrument is vee-OH-la or vye-OH-la so that pn would be a bit more distinct.
There’s always going to be a risk of similar names being mixed up, it just depends whether you love the name(s) enough to put up with the occasional bit of confusion.
I don’t think Violet’s popularity should stop you from using [name_f]Viola[/name_f]. What pronunciation are you using?
I love [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and they are different enough imo. This is coming from a [name_f]Violet[/name_f] mum though! 