Given name & surname
Molly
Molly is used as a given name and a surname. Molly is connected with Mary.
Original IrishMáirín
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
How it developed
Molly is used as a form of Mary.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Molly through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 176,487
- 360 boys · 176,127 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 4,663 babies
- 2025
- 1,601
- #196 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,601 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 196 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 16.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 4,652 in 1991. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (136). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 153,463 as a first name in 2020; 250 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Molly’s family of names
In English usage, Molly is a diminutive of Mary. Molly has a related form in Mollie. Molly is an affectionate form of Mary.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Maryfull form · English
- Mollievariant
- Pollyvariant
- Mollivariant
- Mollyelikely variant
- Molleyvariant
- Molleevariant
- Molleavariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Molly
- Molly RingwaldAmerican actress and writer (born 1968)
- Molly ShannonAmerican actress and comedian (born 1964)
- Molly C. QuinnAmerican actressborn 1993
- Molly Smitten-DownesEnglish singerborn 1987
- Molly SimsAmerican actressborn 1973
- Molly SterlingIrish singerborn 1998
- Molly SandénSwedish female singer, born 1992
- Molly GordonAmerican actressborn 1994
- Molly ParkerCanadian actressborn 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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