Pollyanna
Pollyanna is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter soon writing a sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up (1915). Eleven more Pollyanna sequels, known as "Glad Books", were later published, most of them written by Elizabeth Borton or Harriet Lummis Smith.
Meaning & Origin of Pollyanna
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Pollyanna is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter soon writing a sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up (1915). Eleven more Pollyanna sequels, known as "Glad Books", were later published, most of them written by Elizabeth Borton or Harriet Lummis Smith.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Pollyanna
Pollyanna first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1914, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1964, when 53 Pollyannas were born — ranking #1,558 that year. As of 2026, Pollyanna ranks #7,937 for baby girls with 13 births, rising sharply (+23% over the past five years). In total, more than 1K Pollyannas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Pollyanna
Phonetically similar names — useful when Pollyanna 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 Pollyanna
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About the name Pollyanna
Pollyanna is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Pollyanna's peak popularity came in 1964 when it ranked #1,558. Use the chart and map above to compare Pollyanna's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1964 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- 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.