girl's name
Hollie
HOL-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 43,306
Scotland
#147
2024 births
Hollie is a girl's name from the holly tree, whose name comes from a word meaning "prickly" rather than anything festive. It ranks 147th in Scotland and 158th in Ireland, and it is falling.
- Hollie is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1983, when 662 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 55,258 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hollie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 72 |
| 1890s | 91 |
| 1900s | 112 |
| 1910s | 389 |
| 1920s | 436 |
| 1930s | 348 |
| 1940s | 431 |
| 1950s | 853 |
| 1960s | 1,463 |
| 1970s | 4,900 |
| 1980s | 5,203 |
| 1990s | 2,884 |
| 2000s | 1,396 |
| 2010s | 922 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 406 |
What Hollie means
Hollie means holly, from the Old English holegn. That word is generally traced to a root meaning to prick or pierce, so the tree is named for its spines rather than for its berries or its use at Christmas.
Where Hollie comes from
Hollie is a spelling of Holly, from the Old English holegn, the holly tree, which is usually traced to a root meaning prickly. The plant's Christmas association is old and layered: it was used in Roman Saturnalia, kept its leaves through winter when almost nothing else did, and was absorbed into Christian symbolism with the leaves read as the crown of thorns and the berries as blood. The name entered English use in the twentieth century with the wave of botanical names and is often given to December babies. Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's, published in 1958 and filmed in 1961, gave it a very different register. Hollie with the -ie ending is chiefly British and Irish; Holly dominates elsewhere and is counted separately.
Hollie in use
Hollie ranks 147th in Scotland with 30 births in 2024 and 158th in Ireland, and it is falling in our data from a peak in 1983. Our records carry it from 1880, though the volume is entirely modern. It reaches 420th in England and Wales and only 2,832nd in the United States, where Holly takes the demand — the -ie spelling is a British and Irish habit.
How popular is Hollie?
In 2025, Hollie was given to 60 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Hollie is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hollie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hollie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hollie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Hollie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hollie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hollie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hollie
What does the name Hollie mean?
Hollie means "holly," from the Old English holegn — a word traced to a root meaning prickly.
Is Hollie a Christmas name?
The tree's Christmas association is old, but the name means the plant, and the plant is named for its spines.
What is the difference between Hollie and Holly?
Only spelling. Hollie is chiefly British and Irish; Holly dominates in the United States.
How popular is Hollie?
147th in Scotland and 158th in Ireland.
Is Hollie a girl's or a boy's name?
Hollie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Hollie?
Hollie has 2 syllables.
Is Hollie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hollie currently ranks #147 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.