Dolly

Meaning: God's gift
Origin: Variant of Dorothy (from Greek)

Girl's name · #1781 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Dolly — on the books since 1880, #1781 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 21,000 girls share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Dolly is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Dolly ranks in other countries and regions.

#304 in England & Wales (2025) · #430 in N. Ireland (2025) · #957 in Ireland (2025) · #2,136 in Canada (2024).

Famous Dollys

Dolly Parton — American singer, songwriter and actress
Dolly de Leon — Filipino actress (born 1969)
Dolly Pentreath — Last known native speaker of the Cornish language prior to its revival in 1904
Dolly Haas — German-born actress and singer (1910–1994)
Dolly Ahluwalia — Indian actress

In stories & tradition

Dolly Gallagher Levi — The Merchant of Yonkers (book)
Dolly Bantry^fr — The Thirteen Problems (book)
Dolly for Sue — Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV series)

What Dollys become

Among 155 notable people named Dolly:

Entertainers appear 3.12× more often than among typical names — e.g. Dolly Parton, American singer, songwriter and actress.

Similar names: Dottie · Georgiana · Dora · Polly · Odessa · Effie

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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