Meaning and history
Cola is an Italian masculine short form of Nicola, the Italian form of Nicholas. Nicholas derives from Greek Nikolaos, combining nikē, “victory,” with laos, “people,” and is therefore traditionally interpreted as “victory of the people.” Cola di Rienzo, the fourteenth-century Roman political leader and popular tribune, is the best-known historical bearer; his life later inspired literary and operatic works. Cola is unrelated as a personal name to the kola nut and the modern word for cola beverages.