Where does the name Molly come from?

Molly is a girl name of Hebrew origin.

Is Molly a boy or a girl name?

Molly is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 173,052 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Molly in 2023?

Molly ranks #209 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1991 with 4,652 babies.

How do you pronounce Molly?

Molly is pronounced MAH-lee (2 syllables).

A name from Hebrew · Girl

Molly

Originally a pet form of Mary, by way of medieval Moll and Mally. The independent first-name use is now considerably more common than the source.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

173,052 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

1,437 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

MOriginally a pet form of Mary, by way of medieval Moll and Mally. The independent first-name use is now considerably more common than the source.

Quick answers

People often ask about Molly.

What does the name Molly mean?: Molly means originally a pet form of Mary, by way of medieval Moll and Mally. The independent first-name use is now considerably more common than the source.
Where does the name Molly come from?: Molly is a girl name of Hebrew origin.
Is Molly a boy or a girl name?: Molly is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 173,052 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Molly in 2023?: Molly ranks #209 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1991 with 4,652 babies.
How do you pronounce Molly?: Molly is pronounced MAH-lee (2 syllables).

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.