Polly
Polly was given to 79 girls in 2025, #2,318 among girls’ names; 29,708 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 15,800 Americans named Polly and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (53% of everyone recorded); the median is 65 years old and half are between 56 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Polly by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Polly mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Polly is “a female given name from Hebrew.”
Also “a common given name for a parrot.”
Nickname for Mary, created by rhyming with Molly.
/ˈpɒli/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Polly?
#2,318 among girls’ names, 2025
Polly rose from #3,244 in 2015 to #2,318 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 28.6 to 49.2 per million.
688 babies in 1964, the peak
Polly peaked in 1964, when 688 girls were given it, #361 among girls’ names. The 79 births of 2025 are 11% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 | #2,318 | 0.05 |
| 2024 | 87 | #2,193 | 0.05 |
| 2023 | 66 | #2,668 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 68 | #2,597 | 0.04 |
| 2021 | 63 | #2,745 | 0.04 |
| 2020 | 54 | #3,001 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 49 | #3,261 | 0.03 |
| 2018 | 52 | #3,146 | 0.03 |
| 2017 | 46 | #3,425 | 0.03 |
| 2016 | 51 | #3,214 | 0.03 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 51 | #3,244 | 0.03 |
| 2014 | 51 | #3,216 | 0.03 |
| 2013 | 44 | #3,559 | 0.03 |
| 2012 | 45 | #3,567 | 0.03 |
| 2011 | 44 | #3,590 | 0.03 |
| 2010 | 35 | #4,279 | 0.02 |
| 2009 | 37 | #4,168 | 0.02 |
| 2008 | 35 | #4,429 | 0.02 |
| 2007 | 33 | #4,541 | 0.02 |
| 2006 | 43 | #3,662 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 44 | #3,445 | 0.02 |
| 2004 | 28 | #4,784 | 0.02 |
| 2003 | 27 | #4,778 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 20 | #5,840 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 30 | #4,172 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 25 | #4,749 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 21 | #5,159 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 39 | #3,208 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 39 | #3,083 | 0.02 |
| 1996 | 39 | #3,071 | 0.02 |
| 1995 | 39 | #3,001 | 0.02 |
| 1994 | 48 | #2,609 | 0.03 |
| 1993 | 33 | #3,393 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 50 | #2,537 | 0.03 |
| 1991 | 62 | #2,147 | 0.03 |
| 1990 | 55 | #2,303 | 0.03 |
| 1989 | 64 | #1,987 | 0.03 |
| 1988 | 43 | #2,513 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 61 | #1,894 | 0.04 |
| 1986 | 56 | #1,968 | 0.03 |
| 1985 | 66 | #1,735 | 0.04 |
| 1984 | 67 | #1,652 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 62 | #1,743 | 0.04 |
| 1982 | 82 | #1,468 | 0.05 |
| 1981 | 81 | #1,499 | 0.05 |
| 1980 | 107 | #1,235 | 0.06 |
| 1979 | 114 | #1,164 | 0.07 |
| 1978 | 112 | #1,146 | 0.07 |
| 1977 | 188 | #798 | 0.12 |
| 1976 | 125 | #1,007 | 0.09 |
| 1975 | 155 | #867 | 0.11 |
| 1974 | 212 | #696 | 0.14 |
| 1973 | 220 | #680 | 0.15 |
| 1972 | 236 | #649 | 0.16 |
| 1971 | 308 | #571 | 0.19 |
| 1970 | 297 | #593 | 0.17 |
| 1969 | 296 | #573 | 0.18 |
| 1968 | 372 | #503 | 0.23 |
| 1967 | 399 | #476 | 0.24 |
| 1966 | 421 | #461 | 0.25 |
| 1965 | 447 | #453 | 0.25 |
| 1964 | 688 | #361 | 0.36 |
| 1963 | 572 | #402 | 0.30 |
| 1962 | 566 | #406 | 0.29 |
| 1961 | 659 | #376 | 0.33 |
| 1960 | 610 | #384 | 0.30 |
| 1959 | 505 | #423 | 0.25 |
| 1958 | 540 | #395 | 0.27 |
| 1957 | 509 | #411 | 0.25 |
| 1956 | 550 | #376 | 0.27 |
| 1955 | 588 | #360 | 0.30 |
| 1954 | 493 | #386 | 0.25 |
| 1953 | 513 | #376 | 0.27 |
| 1952 | 434 | #398 | 0.23 |
| 1951 | 473 | #373 | 0.26 |
| 1950 | 463 | #373 | 0.27 |
| 1949 | 473 | #363 | 0.28 |
| 1948 | 427 | #385 | 0.25 |
| 1947 | 443 | #380 | 0.25 |
| 1946 | 452 | #358 | 0.29 |
| 1945 | 398 | #343 | 0.30 |
| 1944 | 417 | #335 | 0.31 |
| 1943 | 427 | #347 | 0.31 |
| 1942 | 413 | #344 | 0.31 |
| 1941 | 435 | #313 | 0.36 |
| 1940 | 416 | #313 | 0.36 |
| 1939 | 418 | #300 | 0.38 |
| 1938 | 351 | #342 | 0.32 |
| 1937 | 372 | #321 | 0.35 |
| 1936 | 370 | #318 | 0.36 |
| 1935 | 377 | #324 | 0.36 |
| 1934 | 436 | #297 | 0.42 |
| 1933 | 372 | #324 | 0.37 |
| 1932 | 416 | #314 | 0.39 |
| 1931 | 379 | #329 | 0.36 |
| 1930 | 373 | #335 | 0.33 |
| 1929 | 394 | #326 | 0.35 |
| 1928 | 390 | #340 | 0.34 |
| 1927 | 332 | #376 | 0.28 |
| 1926 | 338 | #367 | 0.29 |
| 1925 | 320 | #380 | 0.26 |
| 1924 | 340 | #370 | 0.27 |
| 1923 | 312 | #376 | 0.26 |
| 1922 | 324 | #367 | 0.27 |
| 1921 | 285 | #402 | 0.23 |
| 1920 | 289 | #386 | 0.24 |
| 1919 | 249 | #411 | 0.22 |
| 1918 | 292 | #384 | 0.25 |
| 1917 | 267 | #385 | 0.25 |
| 1916 | 254 | #392 | 0.24 |
| 1915 | 209 | #417 | 0.21 |
| 1914 | 164 | #417 | 0.22 |
| 1913 | 138 | #421 | 0.22 |
| 1912 | 145 | #383 | 0.26 |
| 1911 | 91 | #429 | 0.22 |
| 1910 | 110 | #373 | 0.28 |
| 1909 | 82 | #405 | 0.24 |
| 1908 | 83 | #404 | 0.25 |
| 1907 | 77 | #407 | 0.24 |
| 1906 | 85 | #367 | 0.29 |
| 1905 | 71 | #404 | 0.24 |
| 1904 | 80 | #367 | 0.29 |
| 1903 | 73 | #375 | 0.28 |
| 1902 | 62 | #397 | 0.23 |
| 1901 | 62 | #377 | 0.26 |
| 1900 | 78 | #379 | 0.26 |
| 1899 | 57 | #386 | 0.24 |
| 1898 | 75 | #365 | 0.29 |
| 1897 | 66 | #365 | 0.28 |
| 1896 | 68 | #353 | 0.29 |
| 1895 | 76 | #329 | 0.33 |
| 1894 | 78 | #317 | 0.35 |
| 1893 | 61 | #348 | 0.29 |
| 1892 | 65 | #332 | 0.31 |
| 1891 | 58 | #334 | 0.31 |
| 1890 | 57 | #341 | 0.30 |
| 1889 | 56 | #332 | 0.31 |
| 1888 | 60 | #310 | 0.34 |
| 1887 | 48 | #309 | 0.33 |
| 1886 | 58 | #275 | 0.40 |
| 1885 | 43 | #311 | 0.32 |
| 1884 | 48 | #281 | 0.37 |
| 1883 | 33 | #312 | 0.29 |
| 1882 | 41 | #277 | 0.38 |
| 1881 | 48 | #225 | 0.52 |
| 1880 | 41 | #245 | 0.45 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Polly a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Polly has been given almost only to girls: 24 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Polly: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Polly, and how old are they?
15,800 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 53% of the 29,708 Americans ever recorded as Polly. The median Polly alive today is 65 years old; half are between 56 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 17,043 people named Polly (16,987 women and girls, 56 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 17,680 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,150 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 7,800 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,680 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 881 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 539 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 756 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Polly born?
The states with the most babies named Polly are North Carolina, Texas and Ohio, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 1,659 | #1,621 | 1.9× |
| Texas | 1,656 | #3,206 | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 1,453 | #1,643 | 1.0× |
| Kentucky | 1,336 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| California | 1,264 | #2,713 | 0.7× |
| Tennessee | 1,191 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Georgia | 1,051 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Alabama | 964 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 948 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| New York | 932 | #2,343 | 0.4× |
Where Polly is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Polly is most over-represented in Kentucky: since 1910 it was given 2.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Polly with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 31,655 babies since 1880, Polly is the most given (94% of them). In 2025 it was given to 79 of their 89 babies (89%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Polly
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Polly and names like it
- Compare Polly and PollieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1960sPolly peaked in 1964.
- North Carolina’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Polly since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Polly: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1964The year the most babies were named Polly.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Polly alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with PMost given first.