Girl's name
Molly
Say it MOL-ee
Hebrew origin from Miriam, possibly bitter
2 syllables
Where Molly is loved, common and rare
Common across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Sweden and three more places. Rare in England and Wales, Canada, Norway and five more places.
1 in 125 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Ireland 20thNorthern Ireland 32ndSweden 49th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 15 of the 40 official lists, among them Ireland (20th), Northern Ireland (32nd) and Sweden (49th).
Show all 15 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 20th 2025 | 169 | 1 in 125 |
| Northern Ireland | 32nd 2025 | 49 | 1 in 149 |
| Sweden | 49th 2025 | 185 | about 1 in 217 |
| Scotland | 56th 2025 | 71 | 1 in 252 |
| New Zealand | 79th 2025 | 48 | rank only |
| England and Wales | 120th 2025 | 405 | 1 in 625 |
| British Columbia province | 148th 2023 | 20 | about 1 in 598 |
| Norway | 212th 2025 | 20 | 1 in 1,090 |
| Ontario province | 280th 2024 | 45 | about 1 in 1,210 |
| France | 699th 2025 | 55 | 1 in 5,214 |
| Poland | 706th 2025 | 2 | 1 in 59,894 |
| The Netherlands | 907th 2025 | 11 | about 1 in 5,547 |
| Switzerland | 1168th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 8,498 |
| Denmark | 41st 2025 | 160 | rank only |
| Rostock city | 166th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 985 |
Rare, below the listed names: Quebec, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Austria, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistics Denmark (DST) (Denmark); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock). How we count, and every source
About the name
Molly comes from Moll, an old pet form of Mary, with a -y ending added. Through Mary and its Hebrew source Miriam, it carries the meaning traditionally given to them, possibly 'bitter'.
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Two syllables, MOL-ee, give it a cheerful, familiar sound. Mollie is the main alternative spelling, and Màili and Mollye are listed among its variants.
Molly ranks high in Ireland and Northern Ireland and is used in Scotland, and it has a following in Denmark and Sweden too. The Ontario and British Columbia records place its peak in 2011, and it is now falling in more places than it is rising, though it remains well known across the English-speaking world.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- MOL-ee, 2 syllables
- Meaning
- from Miriam,
possibly bitter
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Other spellings
- Mary
- Mollie
- Màili
- Mollye
Etymology
From Moll, diminutive lambdacism of Mary + -y.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 2 of 12 regions, falling in 5.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 56 | 58 | 58 | 57 | 54 | 73 | 84 | 88 | 104 | 120 |
| Scotland | 65 | 55 | 54 | 47 | 47 | 37 | 62 | 56 | 68 | 56 |
| Northern Ireland | 27 | 29 | 34 | 31 | 22 | 21 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 32 |
| Ireland | 27 | 32 | 28 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
| Ontario | 132 | 198 | 135 | 193 | 159 | 148 | 203 | 201 | 280 | |
| British Columbia | 137 | 313 | 256 | 210 | 197 | 151 | 264 | 148 | ||
| New South Wales | 95 | 82 | 100 | |||||||
| Victoria | 97 | 96 | 99 | 90 | ||||||
| Queensland | 88 | |||||||||
| South Australia | 115 | 114 | 95 | 64 | 94 | |||||
| New Zealand | 89 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 68 | 96 | 79 | |||
| Quebec | 344 | 445 | 730 | 503 | 465 | 404 | 652 | 499 | ||
| France | 694 | 722 | 773 | 584 | 588 | 654 | 779 | 688 | 721 | 699 |
| The Netherlands | 892 | 924 | 785 | 874 | 907 | |||||
| Switzerland | 1002 | 1116 | 1296 | 1527 | 1180 | 1209 | 1143 | 1795 | 1540 | 1168 |
| Rostock | 187 | 166 | ||||||||
| Norway | 213 | 249 | 222 | 281 | 248 | 195 | 182 | 234 | 198 | 212 |
| Sweden | 19 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 33 | 29 | 28 | 35 | 37 | 49 |
| Denmark | 37 | 45 | 40 | 43 | 40 | 46 | 41 | |||
| Poland | 377 | 437 | 449 | 419 | 601 | 456 | 612 | 600 | 706 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 120 | 405 | 159.9 |
| 2024 | 104 | 446 | 172.9 |
| 2023 | 88 | 534 | 208.1 |
| 2022 | 84 | 568 | 215.6 |
| 2021 | 73 | 729 | 266.0 |
| 2020 | 54 | 890 | 331.6 |
| 2019 | 57 | 911 | 325.3 |
| 2018 | 58 | 929 | 322.3 |
| 2017 | 58 | 978 | 327.0 |
| 2016 | 56 | 1,041 | 338.9 |
| 2015 | 46 | 1,215 | 394.6 |
| 2014 | 41 | 1,349 | 439.9 |
| 2013 | 35 | 1,469 | 476.2 |
| 2012 | 39 | 1,434 | 445.3 |
| 2011 | 46 | 1,322 | 411.4 |
| 2010 | 42 | 1,454 | 452.9 |
| 2009 | 40 | 1,522 | 485.7 |
| 2008 | 32 | 1,741 | 551.4 |
| 2007 | 30 | 1,845 | 602.7 |
| 2006 | 25 | 1,999 | 668.0 |
| 2005 | 22 | 2,355 | 817.0 |
| 2004 | 21 | 2,610 | 913.0 |
| 2003 | 18 | 2,782 | 998.3 |
| 2002 | 15 | 2,916 | 1,090.6 |
| 2001 | 15 | 2,987 | 1,114.6 |
| 2000 | 20 | 2,328 | 852.2 |
| 1999 | 22 | 2,313 | 821.1 |
| 1998 | 24 | 2,413 | 834.4 |
| 1997 | 21 | 2,628 | 896.4 |
| 1996 | 29 | 2,026 | 684.5 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Molly in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2005. First recorded in 1926. Her peak year there: 2011, at 268.6 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Molly per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2011 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Molly
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 126 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 240 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 202 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 778 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 146 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 221 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 108 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Molly.
1 in 184 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Molly.
Middle names for Molly
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Molly Grace
2-1 beats · initials MG
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Molly Olivia
2-4 beats · initials MO · Molly slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Molly slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Molly Sophia
2-3 beats · initials MS
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Molly Rose
2-1 beats · initials MR
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Molly Maria
2-3 beats · initials MM
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Molly Julia
2-3 beats · initials MJ
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Molly Charlotte
2-2 beats · initials MC
A close match on style, era and popularity. Same length as Molly: 2 syllables.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Molly Diana
2-3 beats · initials MD
Changes the beat after Molly: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Molly
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 70 in Ireland
95% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 118 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
94% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 126 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 274 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 240 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 109 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
93% alike: moves with Molly across countries and decades.
Famous people named Molly
Molly Ringwald, Molly Shannon, Molly C. Quinn, Molly Smitten-Downes, Molly Sims, Molly Sterling, Molly Sandén and Molly Gordon.
Show all 8Show less
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American actress and writer (born 1968)
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American actress and comedian (born 1964)
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American actress born 1993
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English singer born 1987
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American actress born 1973
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Irish singer born 1998
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Swedish female singer, born 1992
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American actress born 1994
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Molly
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Molly?
Her best rank is No. 20 in Ireland in 2025, about 1 in 125 girls. She is in the published lists of 15 of our 40 regions.
What does Molly mean?
Molly takes her meaning from Miriam: "possibly bitter", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Molly?
MOL-ee, with 2 syllables.
Is Molly getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 2 of 12 regions, falling in 5.
Which sister names go with Molly?
The deck's top five sisters for Molly: Abigail, Hannah, Leah, Eliza and Eden. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.