Sally
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- SAL-ee
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,051 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,150 for girls
Sally is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “princess”. In 2025 it ranked 1,051st for girls in the UK (34 babies) and 1,150th for girls in the US (201 babies).
What does Sally mean?
Hebrew: pet form of Sarah
“princess”
A pet form of Sarah, used on its own since at least the 18th century, as in the song Sally in Our Alley.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Sally a girl's or a boy's name?
Sally is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 34 girls in the UK and 201 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Sally in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,051among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 34about 1 in 8,200 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 34 girls in the UK were named Sally, making it the 1,051st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,647th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 332 girls.
2025 had more girls named Sally than any year since 2019.
Half of all the girls named Sally in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,079th in England and Wales and 780th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1944 (#85), 1954 (#50), 1964 (#29), 1974 (#33) and 1984 (#70).
Sally in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 | #1,051 |
| 2024 | 21 | #1,538 |
| 2023 | 13 | #2,185 |
| 2022 | 29 | #1,211 |
| 2021 | 30 | #1,201 |
| 2020 | 19 | #1,647 |
| 2019 | 35 | #1,058 |
| 2018 | 19 | #1,678 |
| 2017 | 33 | #1,127 |
| 2016 | 36 | #1,056 |
| 2015 | 42 | #933 |
| 2014 | 43 | #936 |
| 2013 | 49 | #829 |
| 2012 | 56 | #765 |
| 2011 | 61 | #705 |
| 2010 | 57 | #705 |
| 2009 | 79 | #546 |
| 2008 | 81 | #525 |
| 2007 | 88 | #491 |
| 2006 | 91 | #473 |
| 2005 | 95 | #435 |
| 2004 | 94 | #425 |
| 2003 | 103 | #395 |
| 2002 | 124 | #325 |
| 2001 | 109 | #345 |
| 2000 | 135 | #299 |
| 1999 | 190 | #243 |
| 1998 | 201 | #234 |
| 1997 | 288 | #177 |
| 1996 | 332 | #148 |
How popular is Sally in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,150among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 201about 1 in 8,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 7% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 201 girls in the US were named Sally, making it the 1,150th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,165th. Its busiest year was 1947, with 5,265 girls.
Half of all the girls named Sally in the US since 1880 were born between 1937 and 1959, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 234 girls in the US were given Sally or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #970, up from #1,150 for this spelling alone.
- Sally 201
- Sallie 33
Sally in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 201 | #1,150 |
| 2024 | 225 | #1,095 |
| 2023 | 171 | #1,324 |
| 2022 | 176 | #1,336 |
| 2021 | 192 | #1,223 |
| 2020 | 200 | #1,165 |
| 2019 | 161 | #1,392 |
| 2018 | 195 | #1,210 |
| 2017 | 245 | #1,051 |
| 2016 | 211 | #1,184 |
| 2015 | 222 | #1,139 |
| 2014 | 209 | #1,173 |
| 2013 | 218 | #1,116 |
| 2012 | 208 | #1,179 |
| 2011 | 212 | #1,157 |
| 2010 | 214 | #1,143 |
| 2009 | 227 | #1,116 |
| 2008 | 227 | #1,133 |
| 2007 | 253 | #1,041 |
| 2006 | 244 | #1,050 |
| 2005 | 244 | #1,000 |
| 2004 | 265 | #912 |
| 2003 | 226 | #1,019 |
| 2002 | 263 | #870 |
| 2001 | 301 | #785 |
| 2000 | 332 | #703 |
| 1999 | 327 | #689 |
| 1998 | 328 | #691 |
| 1997 | 337 | #655 |
| 1996 | 365 | #622 |
| 1995 | 390 | #586 |
| 1994 | 399 | #575 |
| 1993 | 445 | #537 |
| 1992 | 496 | #495 |
| 1991 | 530 | #462 |
| 1990 | 549 | #449 |
| 1989 | 536 | #453 |
| 1988 | 543 | #428 |
| 1987 | 528 | #423 |
| 1986 | 592 | #390 |
| 1985 | 567 | #397 |
| 1984 | 615 | #372 |
| 1983 | 660 | #345 |
| 1982 | 633 | #366 |
| 1981 | 713 | #334 |
| 1980 | 740 | #327 |
| 1979 | 735 | #321 |
| 1978 | 779 | #296 |
| 1977 | 789 | #304 |
| 1976 | 899 | #264 |
| 1975 | 949 | #256 |
| 1974 | 957 | #264 |
| 1973 | 951 | #262 |
| 1972 | 908 | #283 |
| 1971 | 1,061 | #272 |
| 1970 | 1,247 | #249 |
| 1969 | 1,309 | #231 |
| 1968 | 1,402 | #216 |
| 1967 | 1,638 | #193 |
| 1966 | 1,834 | #179 |
| 1965 | 2,318 | #162 |
| 1964 | 2,708 | #149 |
| 1963 | 2,744 | #147 |
| 1962 | 3,175 | #136 |
| 1961 | 3,462 | #133 |
| 1960 | 3,754 | #123 |
| 1959 | 4,068 | #114 |
| 1958 | 4,305 | #112 |
| 1957 | 3,993 | #115 |
| 1956 | 4,346 | #105 |
| 1955 | 4,688 | #95 |
| 1954 | 5,078 | #84 |
| 1953 | 5,183 | #81 |
| 1952 | 5,037 | #81 |
| 1951 | 5,138 | #77 |
| 1950 | 4,870 | #78 |
| 1949 | 4,773 | #77 |
| 1948 | 5,012 | #72 |
| 1947 | 5,265 | #70 |
| 1946 | 4,842 | #67 |
| 1945 | 3,982 | #64 |
| 1944 | 4,388 | #59 |
| 1943 | 4,659 | #57 |
| 1942 | 4,655 | #56 |
| 1941 | 3,965 | #61 |
| 1940 | 3,803 | #61 |
| 1939 | 4,244 | #52 |
| 1938 | 4,278 | #54 |
| 1937 | 3,925 | #59 |
| 1936 | 3,635 | #59 |
| 1935 | 3,711 | #58 |
| 1934 | 3,725 | #62 |
| 1933 | 3,146 | #76 |
| 1932 | 2,917 | #84 |
| 1931 | 2,557 | #97 |
| 1930 | 2,542 | #98 |
| 1929 | 2,212 | #112 |
| 1928 | 1,891 | #128 |
| 1927 | 1,630 | #147 |
| 1926 | 1,464 | #160 |
| 1925 | 1,310 | #173 |
| 1924 | 1,145 | #190 |
| 1923 | 999 | #201 |
| 1922 | 972 | #204 |
| 1921 | 891 | #214 |
| 1920 | 958 | #203 |
| 1919 | 991 | #192 |
| 1918 | 1,086 | #184 |
| 1917 | 1,029 | #184 |
| 1916 | 1,221 | #162 |
| 1915 | 1,121 | #163 |
| 1914 | 1,065 | #139 |
| 1913 | 879 | #138 |
| 1912 | 821 | #136 |
| 1911 | 535 | #151 |
| 1910 | 553 | #146 |
| 1909 | 470 | #151 |
| 1908 | 443 | #154 |
| 1907 | 387 | #162 |
| 1906 | 358 | #160 |
| 1905 | 303 | #172 |
| 1904 | 278 | #176 |
| 1903 | 288 | #169 |
| 1902 | 266 | #175 |
| 1901 | 214 | #194 |
| 1900 | 287 | #183 |
| 1899 | 185 | #203 |
| 1898 | 199 | #206 |
| 1897 | 206 | #192 |
| 1896 | 185 | #206 |
| 1895 | 162 | #214 |
| 1894 | 168 | #205 |
| 1893 | 134 | #225 |
| 1892 | 160 | #198 |
| 1891 | 115 | #225 |
| 1890 | 154 | #190 |
| 1889 | 123 | #207 |
| 1888 | 142 | #189 |
| 1887 | 112 | #186 |
| 1886 | 104 | #194 |
| 1885 | 107 | #178 |
| 1884 | 95 | #184 |
| 1883 | 73 | #202 |
| 1882 | 95 | #163 |
| 1881 | 79 | #170 |
| 1880 | 80 | #163 |
Names like Sally
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Mary Sarah Nancy Polly Betsy Lucy Anna Elizabeth Betty Molly Ruby Libby
Other spellings of Sally
Names related to Sally
More Hebrew names
Noah Isabella Elijah James Jack Mia Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias
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, “Sally: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sally, updated 20 October 2026.