There is the Scottish Shona as well.

I know a little girl called Sula, which is Gaelic meaning seabird, I like that.

my male relative's name, short for Adishola (Nigerian)

It sounds really nice, I think it could work on a non african person?
It reminds me mainly of the singer Shola Ama

I'm Irish and I know a lovely girl in Ireland called Shola. It's unusual but it works really well as it's beautiful .

I'm not sure it's exclusively African. But I have met quite a few African Sholas. All lovely.

I like it, makes me think of Shola Ama, the 90s singer though.

Ha ha. I agree about Babatunde, etc. I guess I hadn't realised that Shola was quite so African. DH has discounted it on the basis that 'it sounds unfinished' but neither of us knew it was African.

I don't know, Mama... You're right of course that an English name per se isn't compulsory. But I think there would be something rather unusual about a white English person being named Kofi or Manju or Akash or Babatunde when there is no African or Indian connection at all. If there was a personal cultural connection within the family I would go for it.

Lovely name.