Petula is an English feminine given name of uncertain origin. The best known bearer of the name is British entertainer Petula Clark, whose given name is Sally and for whom Petula was a childhood pet name invented by her father. The name has also been in occasional use as an independent given name throughout the Anglosphere.^[1]

The name might be a modern invention based on the flower name petunia, or an elaboration of the English term of endearment "pet" in combination with the suffix -ula as in the name Ursula. Petula might also be derived from the Late Latin petulare, meaning "supplicant".^[2]

• Petula Louise "Patty" Brard (born 1955), Dutch-Indonesian entertainer
• Dawn Petula Butler (born 1969), British Labour Party politician
• Sally "Petula" Clark (born 1932), British singer, actress, and songwriter

• Petula, lead character played by Rachel Weisz in the 2000 film Beautiful Creatures
• Petula, a sheep character in the cartoon show Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own
• Petula, character played by Hayley McFarland in three episodes of the Showtime dramedy United States of Tara
• Petula, Disney comic character, the sister of Pete and hostess of the cooking show Petula's Pantry
• Petula, lead character and iconic image for the Molly Moon series of children's novels by Georgia Byng, being the title character's pet pug
• Petula Giordino, character played by Julie Walters in the BBC One sitcom dinnerladies
• Petula Lorry, one-shot character in the DC comic series Batman, being featured in Issue 287 (May 1977)
• Petula the Parrot, African parrot in the Belgian cartoon series 64 Zoo Lane
• Miss Petula Perpetual-Motion, character in the book World's Worst Children by David Walliams

• Petula, 1968 album release by Petula Clark
• "It's Up to You, Petula", 1971 single by Edison Lighthouse