Holly
Holly was the 416th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 751 babies. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked 48th; the most babies were born in 1983 (6,388). Over the last ten years it has moved up 75 places. More babies were named Holly in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning holly tree · English, Old English
Say it HOL-ee /ˈhɑli/
- Rank in 2025
- #416 girls, up 63 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 751girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19836,388 babies
- Total since 1880
- 206,845babies recorded
What does the name Holly mean?
Holly is the name of the evergreen shrub with red berries, a Christmas plant, from Old English holegn. Wiktionary notes several surname sources too, including an Irish surname translated from Gaelic for holly. As a girl's name it was popularized by Holly Golightly of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, especially the 1961 film with Audrey Hepburn.
holegn (Old English, “holly”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Hollie, Holley, Ivy.
See also: English names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Holly', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'holly', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Holly popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,541 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #416 | 751 |
| 2020 | #479 | 639 |
| 2010 | #409 | 775 |
| 2000 | #189 | 1,690 |
| 1990 | #89 | 3,772 |
| 1980 | #52 | 5,282 |
| 1970 | #74 | 4,940 |
| 1960 | #161 | 2,580 |
| 1950 | #266 | 834 |
| 1940 | #829 | 74 |
| 1930 | #1,586 | 25 |
| 1920 | #2,113 | 18 |
| 1910 | #2,019 | 7 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Holly, counting every spelling?
Holly is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #386 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #416 for Holly on its own. Together these spellings went to 863 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holly | 751 | #416 | 3,544 |
| Hollie | 60 | #2,834 | 330 |
| Holley | 40 | #3,737 | 203 |
| Holli | 12 | #8,556 | 71 |
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 Holly?
751 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Holly (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Holly 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Holly.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Holly?
About 189,900 people born in the US named Holly are alive today, with a median age of 46; half are between 36 and 56. That makes Holly mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Holly by state
How common Holly was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Idaho (2.9×), Kansas (2.3×), Colorado (2.0×), Washington (1.9×), Connecticut (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Nevada, Maine.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Holly: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Holly, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Holly · Sibling names for Holly
Questions about the name Holly
What does Holly mean?
Holly means “holly tree” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Holly?
Holly was the 416th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 751 babies. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked 48th; the most babies were born in 1983 (6,388). Over the last ten years it has moved up 75 places. More babies were named Holly in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Holly a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Holly in the US.
Where is Holly most popular?
In 2021–2025, Holly was most common in Montana (1.40 per 1,000 girls), followed by Idaho and Kansas.