Molly
Molly is a diminutive of the feminine name Mary that, like other English hypocorisms in use since the Middle Ages, substituted l for r. Molly evolved from the English diminutive Mally. English surnames such as Moll, Mollett, and Mollison are derived from Molly. Molly has also been used as a diminutive of Margaret and Martha since the 1700s and as an independent name since at least 1720.
Meaning & Origin of Molly
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Molly is a diminutive of the feminine name Mary that, like other English hypocorisms in use since the Middle Ages, substituted l for r. Molly evolved from the English diminutive Mally. English surnames such as Moll, Mollett, and Mollison are derived from Molly. Molly has also been used as a diminutive of Margaret and Martha since the 1700s and as an independent name since at least 1720.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Molly
Molly first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 18 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 4,652 Mollys were born — ranking #74 that year. As of 2026, Molly ranks #224 for baby girls with 1,392 births, falling sharply (-16%). In total, more than 177K Mollys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Molly
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Molly Adair (1905–1990), English actress
- Molly Aguirre (born 1984), American snowboarder
- Molly Antopol (born 1978), American fiction and nonfiction writer
- Molly Applebaum (born 1930), Polish-Canadian holocaust survivor and diarist
- Molly Musiime Asiimwe (born 1962), Ugandan politician
- Mollie Arline Kirkland Bailey (c. 1844–1918), American circus musician, singer, wartime nurse and alleged Confederate spy
- Molly Bair (born 1997), American model
- Molly Ball , American political journalist and writer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Molly
Phonetically similar names — useful when Molly is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Molly
What does the name Molly mean?
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About the name Molly
Molly is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 177K births in the dataset. Molly's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #74. Use the chart and map above to compare Molly's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1991 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "M" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.