Molly
Meaning
pet form of Mary; traditional meaning disputed
The story
Molly is one of English naming's oldest acts of affection: a medieval pet form of Mary, created by the same playful sound change that turned Mary into Molly and later Molly into Polly. Mary's original meaning remains uncertain, so Molly inherits history more securely than a tidy definition. It has plenty of history of its own. Dublin made Molly Malone, the fishmonger of the famous street ballad, into a city emblem even though no evidence proves one real woman inspired the song. In US records Molly never vanished. It moved at a modest level for decades, began climbing after midcentury, and reached a broad plateau from the 1990s through the 2020s. A nickname that stable has stopped needing permission from its parent name. Molly is friendly on first hearing and old enough to know exactly what it is.
The formal names behind Molly
Molly is an established short form of each of these names.
Margaret · Greek origin · pearl
Mary · Hebrew origin · bitter; beloved
Molly around the world
One shared root links 17 names across 9 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Miryam, its meaning long debated; traditional glosses run "bitter" and "beloved", with an Egyptian root meaning "love" also argued
The constellation
Molly in song
Good Golly, Miss Molly
Little Richard (1958)
Built on a riff Little Richard borrowed from Ike Turner's Rocket 88, and still one of the great openings in rock and roll.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Molly peaked in the 1990s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
When you meet Molly
Most people given the name Molly in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Molly you meet today is most often in her 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Molly deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Molly truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Molly fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Molly travels
Irish American · star of the sea, pet form of Mary; a warm classic enjoying a modern revival
Jewish American · star of the sea, pet form of Miriam/Mary; a beloved Yiddish-inflected classic across generations
Keep exploring
Names like Molly · Middle names for Molly · Irish American baby names · Jewish American baby names
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