Dolly

“Variant of Dorothy — God's gift” — Greek origin

Girl's name · #1777 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Dolly has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #277 (1881) · 20,592 babies named Dolly all-time · 1 in 14,000 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,800 girls in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 2,400 girls in N. Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 7,000 girls in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Dollys

Dolly Parton — American singer, songwriter and actress
Dolly de Leon — Filipino actress (born 1969)
Dolly Pentreath — last known native speaker of the Cornish language prior to its revival in 1904
Dolly Haas — German-born actress and singer (1910-1994)
Dolly Ahluwalia — Indian actress

In stories & tradition

Dolly Gallagher Levi — The Merchant of Yonkers · Hello, Dolly!
Dolly Bantry — The Thirteen Problems · The Body in the Library
Dolly for Sue — Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

What Dollys become

Among 155 notable people named Dolly:

Entertainers appear 3.12× more often than among typical names — e.g. Dolly Parton, American singer, songwriter and actress.

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.