NameChart

Sally

Girl name

Sally has been given to 205,876 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1947.

Meaning & origin /ˈsæl.i/

A diminutive lambdacism of Sarah. Compare Hal from Harry and Moll from Mary.

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

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

01.316k2.633k3.949k5.265k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

205,876

Peak year

1947 (5,279 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -9%

Gender split

100% girls / 0% boys

Famous people named Sally

Sally Field

American actress

Sally Ride

American astronaut and physicist (1951–2012)

Sally Hawkins

English actress (1976–)

Petula Clark

British 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 Sally.

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