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When he was two, my son named our new dog Lola after the character from "Charlie and Lola." I like it for a dog, but I've never warmed up to the thought of it on a human. It feels especially odd on a little girl, as out of place as lipstick or "yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there." The idea of it as a showgirl name might be too deeply ingrained in my mind to shake, although I hate to think I could ever give Barry Manilow so much power over me!

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As a nickname, it's all right, but it's still not one I would personally pick. If I named a daughter Delores in a fit of postpartum insanity, I'd use Del or Delo/Della before I'd choose Lola. Lola could also be used for most Lo- and Lau- names and for Romola.