NamelingSwipe names

Molly

Gender
Girl
Say it
MOL-ee
Origin
Hebrew
UK rank, 2025
#102 for girls
US rank, 2025
#196 for girls
Style
Vintage revival, classic, big in Northern Ireland

Molly is a girls' name of Hebrew origin. In 2025 it ranked 102nd for girls in the UK (525 babies) and 196th for girls in the US (1,601 babies).

What does Molly mean?

Hebrew: pet form of Mary

Pet form of Mary; Molly Malone is the fishmonger of the famous Dublin song.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Molly a girl's or a boy's name?

Molly is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 525 girls in the UK and 1,601 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Molly in the UK?

Rank in 2025
102nd among girls
Babies in 2025
525 about 1 in 530 girls
Five-year trend
Falling down 45% in five years
Same name in a class
2.6% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 525 girls in the UK were named Molly, making it the 102nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 50th. Its busiest year was 2001, with 3,260 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 12 years. 2025 had the fewest girls named Molly since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the girls named Molly in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.

In 2025, 812 girls in the UK were given Molly or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #70, up from #102 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 120th in England and Wales, 56th in Scotland and 32nd in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1934 (#96), 1994 (#49), 2004 (#21) and 2014 (#41).

1996Busiest: 3,260 in 20012025
Molly in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025525#102
2024561#93
2023669#77
2022695#78
2021918#64
20201,051#50
20191,071#56
20181,078#56
20171,142#55
20161,202#56
20151,395#45
20141,584#36
20131,678#35
20121,663#37
20111,548#43
20101,692#41
20091,774#40
20082,023#33
20072,136#28
20062,292#26
20052,639#22
20042,908#19
20033,066#19
20023,185#15
20013,260#15
20002,490#21
19992,451#24
19982,562#28
19972,743#25
19962,104#31

How popular is Molly in the US?

Rank in 2025
196th among girls
Babies in 2025
1,601 about 1 in 1,000 girls
Five-year trend
Steady down 13% in five years
Same name in a class
1.4% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 1,601 girls in the US were named Molly, making it the 196th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 173rd. Its busiest year was 1991, with 4,652 girls.

2025 had more girls named Molly than any year since 2020.

Half of all the girls named Molly in the US since 1880 were born between 1979 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 1,822 girls in the US were given Molly or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #199.

1880Busiest: 4,652 in 19912025
Molly in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20251,601#196
20241,474#208
20231,437#209
20221,481#199
20211,583#186
20201,645#173
20191,757#161
20181,799#157
20171,829#166
20161,986#157
20152,254#144
20142,605#122
20133,084#102
20123,261#90
20113,616#78
20103,362#87
20093,510#92
20083,321#104
20073,415#97
20063,127#105
20053,215#97
20043,344#97
20033,403#99
20023,119#107
20013,415#90
20003,402#96
19993,326#102
19983,192#108
19973,452#98
19963,312#99
19953,382#98
19943,441#95
19933,708#87
19924,137#83
19914,652#74
19903,965#80
19893,460#93
19883,461#86
19872,891#97
19862,548#110
19852,434#119
19842,178#131
19832,311#129
19822,317#131
19812,089#135
19802,202#133
19792,022#139
19781,931#142
19772,067#141
19761,729#150
19751,547#170
19741,480#179
19731,329#195
19721,234#226
19711,185#248
19701,191#259
19691,093#265
19681,020#265
19671,016#265
1966984#265
19651,062#264
19641,001#290
1963859#320
1962821#327
1961781#337
1960727#361
1959763#344
1958746#343
1957699#341
1956654#343
1955622#344
1954599#351
1953582#345
1952617#331
1951612#320
1950564#324
1949556#328
1948562#331
1947484#366
1946415#370
1945333#387
1944366#367
1943386#366
1942375#362
1941339#363
1940345#349
1939348#340
1938329#359
1937306#369
1936316#357
1935301#363
1934291#369
1933271#393
1932315#360
1931300#370
1930342#362
1929320#375
1928315#381
1927258#430
1926255#433
1925241#443
1924290#404
1923293#387
1922277#396
1921302#384
1920246#427
1919258#400
1918306#374
1917310#356
1916333#336
1915325#331
1914247#336
1913197#345
1912197#323
1911129#353
1910145#316
1909109#343
1908101#358
1907113#324
190686#362
190571#401
190472#392
190375#370
190254#420
190155#397
190067#407
189947#424
189839#491
189750#414
189649#409
189545#421
189436#463
189358#353
189251#373
189133#440
189046#369
188935#410
188837#403
188732#378
188629#400
188530#373
188432#349
188330#324
188230#323
188133#277
188018#388

Names like Molly

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Hannah, Emily, Jessica, Holly, Jasmine, Leah, Chloe, Abigail, Ellie, Amber, Erin, Zoe

Other spellings of Molly

Mollie, Moli, Molli

Names related to Molly

Milly, Mally, Mollee, Molley

More Hebrew names

Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias

Every Hebrew name

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, “Molly: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/molly, updated 20 October 2026.