Zola 2

This sense seems to be a myth. Zola is a Xhosa verb, not Zulu, and means "appease", not "be calm". The Zulu word is Phola, not Zola. Phola may be altered to Xola in avoidance speech, typically by married women if a father in law or other senior male relative bears a name connected to Phola, but not even Xola is pronounced like Zola. Further Zola seems to be a unisex name — many prominent bearers are men, and its use is broader than South Africa — it's also a popular name for Congolese men, with a different meaning. [noted -ed]