Ally
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- AL-ee
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,742 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,117 for girls
Unisex
Ally is a name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 2,742nd for boys in the UK (8 babies) and 2,117th for girls in the US (88 babies).
What does Ally mean?
English: pet form of Allison, Alexandra and similar names
As an English word, ally means a friend or supporter, from Old French alier, 'to bind together'.
Is Ally a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Ally has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 8 boys in the UK and 88 girls in the US.
How popular is Ally in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1999, with 28 girls. 8 boys were also named Ally in 2025 (2,742nd for boys).
Half of all the girls named Ally in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2015, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2024, 64% of the babies named Ally in the UK were girls.
Ally in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | #2,832 |
| 2023 | 8 | #3,098 |
| 2022 | 7 | #3,347 |
| 2021 | 7 | #3,338 |
| 2020 | 12 | #2,268 |
| 2019 | 15 | #1,958 |
| 2018 | 7 | #3,344 |
| 2017 | 2 | #7,588 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,893 |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 2014 | 3 | #5,920 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,719 |
| 2012 | 15 | #2,005 |
| 2011 | 11 | #2,393 |
| 2010 | 8 | #2,992 |
| 2009 | 9 | #2,695 |
| 2008 | 10 | #2,454 |
| 2007 | 6 | #3,396 |
| 2006 | 8 | #2,657 |
| 2005 | 17 | #1,451 |
| 2004 | 18 | #1,342 |
| 2003 | 18 | #1,317 |
| 2002 | 23 | #1,053 |
| 2001 | 28 | #891 |
| 2000 | 19 | #1,137 |
| 1999 | 28 | #861 |
| 1998 | 10 | #1,815 |
| 1997 | 1 | #5,110 |
| 1996 | 1 | #5,054 |
How popular is Ally in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,117among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 88about 1 in 18,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 40% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 88 girls in the US were named Ally, making it the 2,117th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,373rd. Its busiest year was 1998, with 636 girls. It first appears in the records in 1985.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 13 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Ally than any year since 1996.
Half of all the girls named Ally in the US since 1880 were born between 2001 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 652 girls in the US were given Ally or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #486, up from #2,117 for this spelling alone.
Ally in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 88 | #2,117 |
| 2024 | 107 | #1,870 |
| 2023 | 117 | #1,750 |
| 2022 | 131 | #1,612 |
| 2021 | 148 | #1,450 |
| 2020 | 158 | #1,373 |
| 2019 | 177 | #1,295 |
| 2018 | 184 | #1,255 |
| 2017 | 215 | #1,152 |
| 2016 | 272 | #984 |
| 2015 | 319 | #872 |
| 2014 | 381 | #737 |
| 2013 | 463 | #605 |
| 2012 | 499 | #584 |
| 2011 | 419 | #674 |
| 2010 | 418 | #686 |
| 2009 | 349 | #810 |
| 2008 | 383 | #767 |
| 2007 | 419 | #697 |
| 2006 | 456 | #630 |
| 2005 | 425 | #652 |
| 2004 | 473 | #594 |
| 2003 | 394 | #670 |
| 2002 | 444 | #582 |
| 2001 | 383 | #657 |
| 2000 | 418 | #605 |
| 1999 | 540 | #480 |
| 1998 | 636 | #417 |
| 1997 | 184 | #1,035 |
| 1996 | 79 | #1,838 |
| 1995 | 73 | #1,895 |
| 1994 | 60 | #2,204 |
| 1993 | 74 | #1,894 |
| 1992 | 61 | #2,186 |
| 1991 | 43 | #2,732 |
| 1990 | 62 | #2,096 |
| 1989 | 55 | #2,189 |
| 1988 | 40 | #2,641 |
| 1987 | 44 | #2,358 |
| 1986 | 26 | #3,358 |
| 1985 | 13 | #5,346 |
Names like Ally
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Bailey Lyric Emely Lily Journey Arely Destiny Berkley Holland Ellery Landry Whitley
Other spellings of Ally
Names related to Ally
More English names
Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie Hazel
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ally: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ally, updated 20 October 2026.