Holly

Girl name

Holly has been given to 206,845 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1983 and currently ranks #416 for girls (2025).

Meaning & origin

px|none| API (disambiguation) on Wikipedia * As an Irish surname, calque of mac cuilinn (“holly”) (see McCullen) and sometimes McQuillan. * As an English surname, variant of Holley. * As a Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Holý, Holy. * Also as a locational English surname, from Old English hol leah (“wood, clearing, meadow”), compare Hollywood. * Also as an English surname, short form of Holiday. * Also as an English surname, after the holly tree. * As a feminine given name popularized by Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (especially the 1961 film adaptation starring Aud

Origin: English

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

206,845

Peak year

1983 (6,415 babies)

Rank in 2025

#416 for girls

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +15%

Gender split

99% girls / 1% boys

Famous people named Holly

Holly Hunter

American actress (born 1958)

Holly Marie Combs

American actress

Skylar Grey

American singer

Michelle Phillips

American singer and actress

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Holly.

220,952 babies since 1938

224,609 babies since 1880

231,497 babies since 1881

232,637 babies since 1909

180,951 babies since 1932

241,784 babies since 1880

243,592 babies since 1917

165,286 babies since 1880

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