Given name & surname
Polly
Polly is used as a given name and a surname. Polly is connected with Molly and Mary.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English use, Polly is used as a variant of Molly. Polly 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
Polly through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 29,708
- 24 boys · 29,684 girls
- Most popular year
- 1964
- 688 babies
- 2025
- 79
- #2,318 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +44%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 79 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,318 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 44.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 688 in 1964. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,043 as a first name in 2020; 2,317 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.
Polly’s family of names
In English usage, Polly is a nickname for Mary. Polly has a related form in Molly. Polly is a form of Mary.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Polly has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Englishwhere Polly comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Polly
- PJ HarveyEnglish singer-songwriterborn 1969
- Polly BergenAmerican actress (1930-2014)
- Polly HollidayAmerican actress1937–2025
- Polly WalkerBritish actressborn 1966
- Polly SamsonEnglish novelist, lyricist and journalistborn 1962
- Polly Ann YoungAmerican actress (1908-1997)
- Polly MoranActress, vaudevillian (1883-1952)
- Polly HigginsScottish barrister, advocate and expert in ecocide1968–2019
- Polly Draperactress, director, writer, and producer (born 1955)
Characters named Polly: Polly Plummer (fictional girl, second lead character in The Magician's Nephew (Narnia, book 6)), Ben and Polly (Doctor Who).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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