Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Molly as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Molly

Add to my Name List

The baby name Molly is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmɒli/ (UK), /ˈmɑːli/ or /ˈmɑli/ (US); respelling: MOL-ee.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Pronunciation: /ˈmɒli/ (UK), /ˈmɑːli/ or /ˈmɑli/ (US); respelling: MOL-ee

What is the meaning of the name Molly ?

The baby name Molly is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈmɒli/ (UK), /ˈmɑːli/ or /ˈmɑli/ (US); respelling: MOL-ee.

Molly is in Origin.

Molly is a medieval English hypocoristic of Mary, formed from Moll/Malle; the exact root of Mary is debated (Hebrew Miryam), with glosses such as “beloved,” “wished-for child,” “rebellious,” or “sea of bitterness.” Through rhyming, Molly also yielded Polly. While most Mollys trace to Mary, the nickname has at times attached to Margaret, notably “Molly” Brown (born Margaret).

The name spread across Britain and Ireland, kept steady use from the 17th century onward, then surged in late 20th century across the UK, US, and Australia. In Ireland, it’s used alongside Máire/Maura. Common variant spelling: Mollie; diminutives: Mol, Molls. Cognates and related forms include Mary, Marie, Maria, Máire, Moira, Maura, and Mairi. Cultural bearers: Molly Bloom (Joyce), actress Molly Ringwald, and philanthropist “the Unsinkable” Molly Brown - helping cement the name’s lively, friendly image.

Molly has the following similar or variant Names

Celebrity babies named Molly

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Molly Moorish Gallagher Lisa Moorish singer Liam Gallagher singer

Molly – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 874
BW 0 #19 1 960
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
Sweden Girls 2022 #28 305 1,568
New Zealand Girls 2010 #35 88 98
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
CN 0 #80 7 3,857
TW 0 #86 15 4,523
JM 0 #91 3 3,714
KZ 0 #93 2 1,452
BW Girls 0 #94 55 4,216
BN Girls 0 #97 10 5,459
ID Girls 0 #99 4 3,319
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
Norway Girls 2025 #107 20 453
GE Girls 0 #108 1 1,564
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
OM 0 #117 5 6,215
KW 0 #118 4 5,216
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
Switzerland Girls 2024 #134 2 1,786
CR 0 #134 25 5,526
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
MT Girls 0 #150 4 3,773
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
PR Girls 0 #164 4 3,171
CN Girls 0 #171 220 8,829
Canada Girls 2024 #178 110 2,795
AE 0 #179 9 10,220
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
TW Girls 0 #182 99 8,139
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
LU Girls 0 #188 3 4,850
United States Girls 2024 #189 1,465 8,487
AR 0 #192 2 2,915
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
DK 0 #202 5 5,198
NA Girls 0 #204 21 7,146
Belgium Girls 1998 #207 20 422
PL 0 #211 2 2,600
MO Girls 0 #213 39 7,056
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
HU Girls 0 #217 9 3,308
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
JM Girls 0 #237 23 7,507
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GH 0 #247 2 5,396
SG 0 #247 23 11,010
GR Girls 0 #248 2 6,293
JP Girls 0 #249 3 6,592
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
EC Girls 0 #258 1 3,650
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
KZ Girls 0 #263 58 5,862
NG 0 #264 9 5,926
SG Girls 0 #275 364 18,916
MY 0 #278 53 12,352
QA Girls 0 #278 39 15,378
IL 0 #279 4 6,291
DK Girls 0 #283 34 7,429
SA 0 #285 11 10,560
JM Boys 0 #292 2 6,876
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
KZ Boys 0 #295 2 6,578
GH Girls 0 #307 18 6,973
OM Girls 0 #310 87 15,987
HK 0 #319 30 8,483
PE 0 #325 5 6,350
CN Boys 0 #331 1 9,639
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
SD Girls 0 #334 12 7,678
France Girls 2021 #335 71 3,185
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
HK Girls 0 #342 319 16,104
CZ Girls 0 #343 9 5,378
MU Girls 0 #355 8 8,539
PL Girls 0 #357 8 5,096
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
BD Girls 0 #364 23 8,413
PH Girls 0 #374 17 13,098
EG 0 #379 22 6,387
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
Finland Girls 0 #382 10 1,368
YE 0 #393 6 8,639
ZA 0 #397 51 14,421
PH Boys 0 #402 7 11,440
RU Girls 0 #404 95 11,913
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
CR Girls 0 #408 125 11,342
Austria Girls 0 #411 10 1,885
CL 0 #428 7 6,867
KW Girls 0 #428 88 19,177
ZA Girls 0 #434 1,242 25,928
AE Girls 0 #439 115 20,968
Spain 0 #439 14 2,326
MX 0 #440 6 8,339
MY Girls 0 #442 697 24,821
PT Girls 0 #463 9 7,952
SD Boys 0 #464 3 10,523
PA Girls 0 #471 11 9,861
PS Girls 0 #480 44 10,981
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
RU Boys 0 #493 13 12,621
GT Girls 0 #496 10 7,500
Finland Girls 2026 #499 303 3,895
CO 0 #508 3 7,768
LY 0 #517 19 12,703
IQ Girls 0 #519 7 11,303
BH 0 #520 34 17,937
UY Girls 0 #529 8 6,731
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
CM Girls 0 #555 6 11,671
HK Boys 0 #555 3 12,905
IL Girls 0 #562 56 11,648
EG Girls 0 #576 435 14,742
AR Girls 0 #587 13 8,289
BO Girls 0 #594 18 9,488
IN Girls 0 #608 24 13,121
BO Boys 0 #622 1 9,244
IT 0 #658 57 4,183
LB 0 #683 8 13,263
NG Girls 0 #687 100 15,093
IQ Boys 0 #693 5 13,071
CL Boys 0 #696 5 13,390
SG Boys 0 #734 6 17,960
QA Boys 0 #741 3 18,093
Germany Girls 0 #752 87 4,949
SY 0 #765 3 11,684
SA Girls 0 #776 160 25,931
CL Girls 0 #788 64 14,098
KW Boys 0 #805 2 18,755
PE Girls 0 #841 103 14,861
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
United States Boys 2014 #887 5 7,361
Spain Girls 0 #893 91 5,561
IT Girls 0 #897 618 9,415
NL Girls 0 #901 55 5,933
CO Boys 0 #908 13 15,656
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
EG Boys 0 #917 9 15,035
PE Boys 0 #921 6 14,506
BR Girls 0 #932 10 12,708
NG Boys 0 #936 16 16,906
Germany Boys 0 #940 13 5,697
CO Girls 0 #1,015 64 16,140
MX Boys 0 #1,032 2 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,037 3 16,750
MX Girls 0 #1,076 108 17,781
MY Boys 0 #1,085 27 25,439
ZA Boys 0 #1,101 78 25,619
MA 0 #1,109 20 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,141 3 22,615
DZ 0 #1,155 22 20,130
TR 0 #1,192 20 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,438 34 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,597 18 28,008

Molly is popular in 85 countries — most recent births per country:

Scotland, United Kingdom
Ireland
Canada
France
England & Wales, United Kingdom

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Molly

Molly is predominantly a girl's name.
Molly is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈmɒli/ (UK), /ˈmɑːli/ or /ˈmɑli/ (US); respelling: MOL-ee.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Mollie, Molli, Mollee, Moll and Mally.
Across languages, Molly has these equivalents: Marie (French), Maria (Spanish/Italian), Maryam (Arabic/Persian), Miriam (Hebrew), Máire (Irish), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Molly ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 12 countries.
Molly ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Molly's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Molly for their child, including Lisa Moorish and Liam Gallagher.