Molly

Meaning: Bitter; or possibly rebellion/disobedience
Origin: Variant of Mary · Hebrew roots; debated (from Hebrew)

Girl's name · #196 in the US (2025) · 90s wave

Popularity over time

Molly reached #74 in 1991 and has eased to #196 since. About 176,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Molly is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 50 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Molly ranks in other countries and regions.

#20 in Ireland (2025) · #32 in N. Ireland (2025) · #41 in Denmark (2025) · #49 in Sweden (2025) · #56 in Scotland (2025) · #81 in New Zealand (2025) · #120 in England & Wales (2025) · #217 in Norway (2025) · #718 in Belgium (2025) · #738 in France (2025) · #907 in Netherlands (2025) · #1,344 in Switzerland (2025) and 1 more.

Famous Mollys

Molly Ringwald — American actress and writer (born 1968)
Molly Quinn — American actress
Molly Shannon — American actress and comedian (born 1964)
Molly Smitten-Downes — English singer
Molly Sims — American actress

In stories & tradition

Molly Weasley — Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Molly Bloom — Ulysses (book)
Molly Hayes — Marvel Comics

What Mollys become

Among 693 notable people named Molly:

Entertainers appear 1.98× more often than among typical names — e.g. Molly Ringwald, American actress and writer (born 1968).

Similar names: Mollie · Ana · Morgan · Holly · Ariel · Mariah

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

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