Dolly
Dolly was the 1781st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 277th; the most babies were born in 1926 (395). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,844 places. More babies were named Dolly in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Not yet researched how we research meanings
- Rank in 2025
- #1,781 girls, up 946 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 113girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1926395 babies
- Total since 1880
- 20,636babies recorded
Dolly popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 44 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,781 | 113 |
| 2020 | #2,727 | 61 |
| 2010 | #5,285 | 26 |
| 2000 | #6,283 | 17 |
| 1990 | #2,817 | 41 |
| 1980 | #1,612 | 72 |
| 1970 | #1,061 | 115 |
| 1960 | #756 | 183 |
| 1950 | #497 | 262 |
| 1940 | #416 | 271 |
| 1930 | #331 | 387 |
| 1920 | #352 | 348 |
| 1910 | #343 | 133 |
| 1900 | #341 | 94 |
| 1890 | #338 | 57 |
| 1880 | #355 | 21 |
How popular is Dolly, counting every spelling?
Dolly is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,442 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,781 for Dolly on its own. Together these spellings went to 133 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolly | 113 | #1,781 | 569 |
| Dollie | 13 | #7,994 | 63 |
| Dali | 7 | #12,204 | 37 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Dolly?
113 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dolly (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Dolly born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 74 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dolly.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dolly?
About 8,100 people born in the US named Dolly are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 48 and 77. That makes Dolly a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dolly by state
How common Dolly was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (2.9×). In 33 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dolly: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dolly, they share its era and feel.
Dolly is also a nickname for Dorothy and Dolores.
Questions about the name Dolly
How popular is the name Dolly?
Dolly was the 1781st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 113 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 277th; the most babies were born in 1926 (395). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2,844 places. More babies were named Dolly in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Dolly a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Dolly in the US.
Where is Dolly most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dolly was most common in Mississippi (0.21 per 1,000 girls), followed by Tennessee and Ohio.