girl's name
Molly
MOL-ee
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 244,439
the United States
#196
2025 births
Molly is a girl's name of Hebrew origin, a pet form of Mary whose meaning has never been settled — the candidates are "bitter" and "beloved." The l comes from a medieval habit of swapping r for l in nicknames.
- Molly is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1991, when 4,663 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,071 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Molly 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 | 306 |
| 1890s | 454 |
| 1900s | 803 |
| 1910s | 2,447 |
| 1920s | 2,797 |
| 1930s | 3,119 |
| 1940s | 4,161 |
| 1950s | 6,458 |
| 1960s | 9,364 |
| 1970s | 15,776 |
| 1980s | 26,042 |
| 1990s | 36,628 |
| 2000s | 33,330 |
| 2010s | 25,581 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,221 |
What Molly means
Molly inherits Mary's unresolved meaning: most often bitter, from the Hebrew mar, or beloved, from an Egyptian root. The name itself adds nothing beyond familiarity.
Where Molly comes from
Molly comes from Mary by way of Mally, through the medieval English practice of substituting l for r in pet forms — the same change that turned Sarah into Sally and Dorothy into Dolly. Mary descends from the Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning has been argued over for two millennia. Molly acquired independent cultural weight in Ireland through Molly Malone, and in literature through Molly Bloom, whose closing soliloquy ends Joyce's Ulysses. In British and Irish usage it has been a standalone name since the eighteenth century.
Molly in use
Our data shows Molly falling rather than rising, peaking in 1991, at 120 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. It is one of the few names we have written up past its peak, most of the British pet forms being still on the way up.
How popular is Molly?
In 2025, Molly was given to 1,601 babies in the United States, ranking #196 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Molly 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 Molly
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Molly also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Molly over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Molly 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.
- Dutch
- Mary
Sibling names for Molly
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Molly — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Molly
What does the name Molly mean?
It inherits Mary's unsettled meaning — most often given as "bitter" or "beloved."
Is Molly short for Mary?
Historically yes, by way of Mally. It has been a standalone name since the eighteenth century.
Why does Mary become Molly?
A medieval English habit of swapping r for l in pet forms — the same change behind Sally from Sarah and Dolly from Dorothy.
How popular is the name Molly?
In 2025, Molly was given to 1,601 babies in the United States, ranking #196 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Molly a girl's or a boy's name?
Molly is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Molly?
Molly has 2 syllables.
When was Molly most popular?
Molly peaked in 1991, when 4,663 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Molly a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Molly currently ranks #20 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.