Dolly
Girl name · #1777 in 2025 · Rare
How old is the name Dolly? In official American birth records, Dolly has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Dolly is currently the #1777 girl name in the United States — 113 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #4584, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 15,929 girls born in 2025 was named Dolly.
The 145-year story
Dolly first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 21 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1926, when 395 girls were named Dolly — good for #332 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Dolly per year. Source: Official national birth records.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dolly against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dolly in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Dolly is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Dolly will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Dolly is most common
State-level data for Dolly is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Dolly
Statistically, parents drawn to Dolly tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Sally, Dorothea, Lenore, Sybil, and Mable.
SallyDorotheaLenoreSybilMableDoraEffieMarion
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Dolly | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 113 | #1777 |
| 2024 | 127 | #1630 |
| 2023 | 129 | #1614 |
| 2022 | 113 | #1807 |
| 2021 | 87 | #2154 |
| 2020 | 61 | #2712 |
| 2019 | 54 | #3002 |
| 2018 | 53 | #3050 |
| 2017 | 49 | #3247 |
| 2016 | 42 | #3656 |
| 2015 | 30 | #4584 |
| 2014 | 23 | #5625 |
| 2013 | 26 | #5143 |
| 2012 | 20 | #6341 |
| 2011 | 13 | #8614 |
| 2010 | 26 | #5247 |
| 2009 | 19 | #6811 |
| 2008 | 18 | #7073 |
| 2007 | 17 | #7394 |
| 2006 | 19 | #6592 |
| 2005 | 18 | #6528 |
| 2004 | 15 | #7391 |
| 2003 | 10 | #9671 |
| 2002 | 16 | #6698 |
| 2001 | 15 | #6956 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Dolly?
In official American birth records, the name Dolly first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 21 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Dolly a popular girl name?
Dolly ranked #1777 among girls in 2025 with 113 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #4584.
When was the name Dolly most popular?
Dolly peaked in 1926, when 395 American girls received the name (ranked #332 that year). Since 1926 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Dolly?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 15,929 newborn American girls was named Dolly. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.