Girls' name · since 1880
Polly
Polly has 29,684 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1964 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #840 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,299 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,684
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
29,684 babies have been named Polly since 1880, making it today's #2299 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Polly recorded 29,684 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2299 nationally today, ahead of 87% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #840 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,299 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 29,684 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Polly ranks #840 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,299 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 29,684 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #840 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,299 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,684
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Polly's 29,684 recorded births place it above 98.83% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Polly compares
29,684 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Polly's all-time total is 79x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Polly | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 29,684 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 688 | 21 | 19,840 |
Polly's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Polly splits its recorded history at 1953: 44% of all births land in the more recent half, 56% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2002 (20 births) -- compare that against the 1964 peak of 688 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Polly popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1964)
- 688
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Polly popularity over time - boys
24 total births recorded since 1918 (Polly as boys' name)
Polly by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (5,068 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Polly's strongest decade.
5,068 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Polly births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 476
1880s
476 births
- 1890s 661
1890s
661 births
- 1900s 753
1900s
753 births
- 1910s 1,919
1910s
1,919 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,324 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,864 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,301 births
- 1950s
1950s
5,068 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,030 births
- 1970s 1,967
1970s
1,967 births
- 1980s 689
1980s
689 births
- 1990s 425
1990s
425 births
- 2000s 322
2000s
322 births
- 2010s 468
2010s
468 births
- 2020s 417
2020s
417 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 5,068 births (17% of all-time use).
How Polly compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Polly's total volume
Polly by state
Where Polly concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 1,659 | 5.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,656 | 5.6% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 1,453 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 1,336 | 4.5% |
| #5 | California | | 1,264 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 1,191 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 1,051 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 964 | 3.2% |
1,659 of 29,684 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Polly appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Polly? ▼
Where does Polly sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Polly most popular? ▼
Where is Polly most popular? ▼
How long has the name Polly been used? ▼
What names are similar to Polly? ▼
What to do with Polly's data
- Polly's decade-level peak was the 1950s (5,068 total births); usage has since declined to 417 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Pollys (1,659 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Polly
Nearby Names Like Polly
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Polly
Compare Polly side by side: Polly vs Polina Polly vs Pollie Polly vs Pollyanna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Polly
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Polly: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1964)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Polly draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.