Dolly
Girl name · #1777 in 2025 · Uniqueness 42/100
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, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Dolly against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Dolly in class?
Dolly scores 42 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Dolly is most common
Geography matters for names, and Dolly is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Dollys were TX (12), CA (9), NC (8), TN (8), VA (6). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
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
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. It scores 42/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.