Sally
A pet form of Sarah, with the same r-to-l shift that gave Molly from Mary.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Sally appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1930 to 1955. Its biggest year was 1947, when 5,265 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 70 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1939, at No. 52. All told, 205,876 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Sallie (50,096), Saleh (1,783), Sallye (1,067), Salli (679), Sahily (648), Salih (587) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Mary, Sarah, Molly
Explore Sally interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,010 | No. 163 |
| 1890s | 1,668 | No. 190 |
| 1900s | 3,294 | No. 151 |
| 1910s | 9,301 | No. 136 |
| 1920s | 13,472 | No. 112 |
| 1930s | 34,680 | No. 52 |
| 1940s | 45,344 | No. 56 |
| 1950s | 46,706 | No. 77 |
| 1960s | 24,344 | No. 123 |
| 1970s | 9,275 | No. 249 |
| 1980s | 6,127 | No. 327 |
| 1990s | 4,166 | No. 450 |
| 2000s | 2,582 | No. 703 |
| 2010s | 2,095 | No. 1051 |
| 2020s | 1,165 | No. 1095 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.