Total births
205,229
Girls' name · since 1880
Sally
Sally has 205,229 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1095
- among girls today
- 205,229
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Sally is the #1095 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 205,229 recorded since 1880.
Sally has 205,229 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1095 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1095 among girls today
- 205,229 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sally is currently the #1095 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 205,229 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1095
- among girls today
- 205,229
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Sally vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1095
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Sally was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
5,265 babies were named Sally in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Sally compares
205,229 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Sally's all-time total is 537x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sally | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 205,229 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,265 | 48 | 19,840 |
Sally's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sally's full recorded timeline at 1953, 40% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 60% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 73 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 5,265 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sally at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1947
Current rank
#1,095
Active since
1880
Sally popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 5,265
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sally popularity over time - boys
647 total births recorded since 1913 (Sally as boys' name)
Sally by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Sally's strongest decade.
46,706 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Sally births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,010
1880s
1,010 births
- 1890s 1,668
1890s
1,668 births
- 1900s 3,294
1900s
3,294 births
- 1910s 9,301
1910s
9,301 births
- 1920s 13,472
1920s
13,472 births
- 1930s
1930s
34,680 births
- 1940s
1940s
45,344 births
- 1950s
1950s
46,706 births
- 1960s
1960s
24,344 births
- 1970s 9,275
1970s
9,275 births
- 1980s 6,127
1980s
6,127 births
- 1990s 4,166
1990s
4,166 births
- 2000s 2,582
2000s
2,582 births
- 2010s 2,095
2010s
2,095 births
- 2020s 1,165
2020s
1,165 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 46,706 births (23% of all-time use).
How Sally 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 Sally's total volume
Sally vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Sally by state
Where Sally concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 17,913 | 8.7% |
| #2 | California | | 17,140 | 8.4% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 14,767 | 7.2% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 13,768 | 6.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 12,796 | 6.2% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 10,917 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Texas | | 8,948 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 6,411 | 3.1% |
New York share of Sally's total US births 8.7%
Even split
17,913 of 205,229 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sally appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sally? ▼
Sally has been given to 205,229 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1095 as of the latest data. 5,265 babies were born in 1947, its single highest year.
When was Sally most popular? ▼
Sally was most popular in the 1950s decade with 46,706 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Sally most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sally are New York (17,913 births), California (17,140 births), Pennsylvania (14,767 births).
How long has the name Sally been used? ▼
Sally has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Sally? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sallie, Salma, Salina, Salem, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Sally's data
- Sally's decade-level peak was the 1950s (46,706 total births); usage has since declined to 1,165 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Sallys (17,913 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sally
Nearby Names Like Sally
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sally
Sallie Girl
#5962 49,961 births
Salma Girl
#872 10,311 births
Salina Girl
#4678 7,239 births
Salem Girl
#432 6,491 births
Salena Girl
#7616 5,163 births
Compare Sally side by side: Sally vs Sallie Sally vs Salma Sally vs Salina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sally
Kamora #1094
4,147 births · Peak 2008
Wendy #1096
262,325 births · Peak 1967
Laramie #1093
1,813 births · Peak 2024
Kacey #1097
11,961 births · Peak 1991
Ivana #1092
8,042 births · Peak 2010
Adela #1098
14,105 births · Peak 2015
Ingrid #1091
27,747 births · Peak 1967
Kathleen #1099
713,645 births · Peak 1951
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sally: #1095 Girls' Name - 205,229 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sally. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Sally 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 June 2026.