Dolly is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Dolly means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Dolly across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Dolly has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Dolly is a girl name of Greek origin meaning “gift of God”. A pet form of Dorothy.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 20,636 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,242 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 10 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 9 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 32 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Dolly per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1926 (395/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2015 (194/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2022 (10/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2024 (7/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2016 (3/yr).
Dolly has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1926, when it ranked #619 nationally (given to 395 babies that year).
Della · Doyle · Dollie · Telly · Dell · Dillie · Tilly · Diallo
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