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Sally as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Sally

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The baby name Sally is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈsæli/ (SAL-ee).

Sally is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: /ˈsæli/ (SAL-ee)

What is the meaning of the name Sally ?

The baby name Sally is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈsæli/ (SAL-ee).

Sally is English in Origin.

Sally is an English diminutive of Sarah, from Hebrew Sarah (Sārah) meaning "princess" or "noblewoman." It arose in early modern England as a rhyming pet form (cf. Polly from Mary), later becoming established as an independent given name. Related short forms include Sal, and the alternate spelling Sallie appears in 19th-century records.

Its use spread throughout the Anglophone world, especially Britain and the United States, where it rose sharply in the 1930s-1960s before declining, lending it a mid-century, friendly vibe. Literary and cultural touchpoints, from nursery rhymes to pop songs like Long Tall Sally and Mustang Sally, helped cement its familiarity, and figures such as astronaut Sally Ride kept it in public view. Variants and cognates linked to the root name include Sarah, Sara, Sarai, Sadie, and Sallie; diminutives include Sal. The name conveys approachable charm while retaining the dignified biblical heritage of Sarah.

Sally has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Sally

Sally Field Actor · Born 1946 · United States Sally Field is an American actress best known for films like Forrest Gump, Norma Rae, and Steel Magnolias. She has also worked in television and on Broadway, and earlier in her career she recorded popular music. Sally Hawkins Actor · Born 1976 · United Kingdom Sally Hawkins is an English actress best known for her film work, especially The Shape of Water, Paddington, and Blue Jasmine. She started out on stage before moving into screen acting, and has won a Golden Globe along with earning Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Sally Kirkland Actor · Born 1941 · United States Sally Kirkland Jr. was an American actress and producer best known for her Oscar-nominated role in Anna. She also appeared in films like JFK and Bruce Almighty.
Sally Potter Actor · Born 1949 · United Kingdom Sally Potter is an English film director and screenwriter best known for Orlando. She also directed films including The Tango Lesson and The Party. Sally Phillips Actor · Born 1970 · United Kingdom Sally Phillips is an English actress, comedian, and TV presenter best known for co-creating and writing the sketch comedy series Smack the Pony. She has also built a successful career in British television and comedy. Sally Yeh Actor · Born 1961 · Canada Sally Yeh is a Hong Kong–Taiwanese Canadian former singer and actress best known for her popular Cantopop music and film work. Also credited as Sally Yip or Yip Sin-man, she became especially well known for songs like "Blessing" and "Love of a Lifetime."

Celebrity babies named Sally

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Sally Taylor Carly Simon singer ★★★★★ James Taylor singer ★★★★★

Sally – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
KR Girls 0 #12 4 572
SG Girls 0 #22 2,537 18,916
KR Boys 0 #27 1 897
BN 0 #28 5 2,297
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MO 0 #41 12 2,706
GE 0 #43 2 997
BN Girls 0 #45 64 5,459
Sweden Girls 2022 #46 212 1,568
CN 0 #49 37 3,857
CM 0 #55 2 2,592
PR 0 #55 1 1,497
CN Girls 0 #59 685 8,829
CY 0 #59 2 1,632
LU 0 #60 7 2,830
MY Girls 0 #66 3,809 24,821
TW 0 #66 35 4,523
PH 0 #70 27 5,607
HK Girls 0 #72 2,054 16,104
IQ Girls 0 #74 1,122 11,303
JP 0 #74 4 4,057
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
EG Girls 0 #77 14,485 14,742
SD 0 #77 24 2,130
QA 0 #78 23 7,011
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
MO Girls 0 #82 205 7,056
EG 0 #87 1,026 6,387
GE Girls 0 #89 16 1,564
KW 0 #90 27 5,216
SG 0 #91 213 11,010
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
TW Girls 0 #94 224 8,139
ID Girls 0 #95 8 3,319
CY Girls 0 #98 24 3,755
OM 0 #98 19 6,215
JO Girls 0 #100 603 7,570
IQ 0 #101 29 3,533
QA Girls 0 #103 251 15,378
KW Girls 0 #106 613 19,177
GE Boys 0 #110 1 2,055
Norway Girls 2023 #113 5 467
PH Girls 0 #116 354 13,098
BW Girls 0 #118 31 4,216
JO 0 #118 20 2,158
EC 0 #121 1 2,502
AE 0 #126 52 10,220
AE Girls 0 #130 564 20,968
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
MT Girls 0 #133 19 3,773
PA 0 #134 5 3,797
HK 0 #135 278 8,483
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
LU Girls 0 #144 42 4,850
CR 0 #145 14 5,526
MY 0 #146 202 12,352
SY 0 #146 1,806 11,684
PR Girls 0 #150 12 3,171
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
LB 0 #153 1,034 13,263
SA Girls 0 #153 1,530 25,931
PS Girls 0 #156 670 10,981
OM Girls 0 #159 258 15,987
SD Girls 0 #162 238 7,678
SI Girls 0 #175 3 2,769
DK 0 #177 27 5,198
NA Girls 0 #177 48 7,146
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
PS 0 #184 35 5,692
SA 0 #184 112 10,560
GH Girls 0 #187 167 6,973
RU 0 #189 6 3,641
YE 0 #190 235 8,639
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
DK Girls 0 #203 121 7,429
Belgium Girls 1995 #211 18 429
JP Girls 0 #212 34 6,592
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
AO Girls 0 #216 2 4,575
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
GR Girls 0 #222 21 6,293
HU Girls 0 #223 3 3,308
GH 0 #224 20 5,396
IR 0 #229 3 4,221
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
IL 0 #231 44 6,291
JM Girls 0 #231 29 7,507
IL Girls 0 #232 605 11,648
MO Boys 0 #232 3 5,842
BD 0 #239 3 5,992
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
NA Boys 0 #248 6 6,830
AO Boys 0 #249 1 5,568
NG 0 #253 12 5,926
EC Girls 0 #255 4 3,650
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
Canada Girls 2024 #273 13 2,795
PE 0 #289 22 6,350
HR Girls 0 #291 4 3,687
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
KZ Boys 0 #293 4 6,578
KZ Girls 0 #300 21 5,862
JP Boys 0 #301 3 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #302 4 6,530
ZA 0 #315 133 14,421
CZ Girls 0 #323 19 5,378
ZA Girls 0 #328 1,836 25,928
DK Boys 0 #331 2 7,401
GT 0 #335 4 5,948
GH Boys 0 #356 6 8,138
MU Girls 0 #357 6 8,539
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
NL 0 #360 32 2,481
PL Girls 0 #361 4 5,096
Finland Girls 0 #362 30 1,368
JO Boys 0 #362 16 7,057
MU Boys 0 #368 2 8,477
PH Boys 0 #374 10 11,440
Austria Girls 0 #377 44 1,885
PT Boys 0 #381 1 7,951
France Girls 2021 #388 18 3,185
CL 0 #393 19 6,867
MX 0 #395 19 8,339
Germany 0 #401 37 2,542
France Boys 2016 #404 5 2,872
BO 0 #404 5 6,868
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
CM Girls 0 #406 137 11,671
PT Girls 0 #420 32 7,952
Spain 0 #422 31 2,326
PA Girls 0 #425 57 9,861
CR Girls 0 #430 103 11,342
LY 0 #435 102 12,703
CO 0 #446 35 7,768
RU Girls 0 #446 53 11,913
BH 0 #448 106 17,937
SD Boys 0 #459 8 10,523
NG Girls 0 #471 371 15,093
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
RU Boys 0 #489 17 12,621
GT Girls 0 #494 12 7,500
IR Girls 0 #502 29 8,334
CR Boys 0 #508 3 10,188
HK Boys 0 #511 17 12,905
PS Boys 0 #526 23 10,655
UY Girls 0 #529 8 6,731
Germany Girls 0 #539 336 4,949
IR Boys 0 #543 10 10,162
PE Girls 0 #564 462 14,861
CM Boys 0 #567 9 12,054
Finland Girls 2026 #573 176 3,895
BO Girls 0 #576 36 9,488
AR Girls 0 #579 21 8,289
IL Boys 0 #595 13 10,983
IT 0 #601 114 4,183
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
IQ Boys 0 #614 54 13,071
EG Boys 0 #627 269 15,035
IT Girls 0 #646 1,211 9,415
NL Girls 0 #646 319 5,933
IN Girls 0 #650 5 13,121
SG Boys 0 #672 26 17,960
CL Girls 0 #690 162 14,098
United States Girls 2024 #695 223 8,487
CL Boys 0 #695 6 13,390
Spain Girls 0 #734 253 5,561
QA Boys 0 #738 6 18,093
KW Boys 0 #741 29 18,755
CO Girls 0 #780 319 16,140
BR Boys 0 #784 2 12,213
TN 0 #784 46 13,765
DZ 0 #886 292 20,130
NG Boys 0 #900 52 16,906
OM Boys 0 #911 8 17,948
Germany Boys 0 #916 37 5,697
MX Girls 0 #916 273 17,781
BR Girls 0 #918 24 12,708
PE Boys 0 #919 8 14,506
Spain Boys 0 #921 10 5,610
CO Boys 0 #977 5 15,656
MA 0 #983 146 20,986
MX Boys 0 #1,028 6 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,037 3 16,750
MY Boys 0 #1,045 67 25,439
AE Boys 0 #1,075 18 22,615
TR 0 #1,079 133 19,440
ZA Boys 0 #1,104 75 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,419 53 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,536 79 28,008

Sally is popular in 89 countries — most recent births per country:

Ireland
France
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
Sweden

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

People also ask about Sally

Sally is predominantly a girl's name.
Sally is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈsæli/ (SAL-ee).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Sallie, Salley, Salli and Sallee.
Yes, very popular — Sally ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Sally ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Sally's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 14 notable people named Sally are in our database, including Sally Field (Actor), Sally Hawkins (Actor), Sally Kirkland (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Sally for their child, including Carly Simon and James Taylor.