Holly

Where Holly comes from

* As an Irish surname, calque of mac cuilinn (“holly”) (see McCullen) and sometimes McQuillan. * As an English surname, variant of Holley. * As a Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Holý, Holy. * Also as a locational English surname, from Old English hol leah (“wood, clearing, meadow”), compare Hollywood. * Also as an English surname, short form of Holiday. * Also as an English surname, after the holly tree. * As a feminine given name popularized by Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (especially the 1961 film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn).
— Wiktionary's entry for Holly
  • English
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1893
    First appearance
    #1,091 among girls, 8 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1926
    Mostly girls from here
    Until now more boys than girls got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
  3. 1958
    Holly Hunter born
    American actress
  4. 1973
    Holly Marie Combs born
    American actress
  5. 1983
    Peak, #48
    6,388 babies named Holly — more than any year before or since.
  6. 1993
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #108.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from English.
  • A male given name transferred from the surname.
  • A place in the United States:
  • A town in Prowers County, Colorado, named after cattleman Hiram S. Holly.
  • An unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, named for a large holly tree.
  • An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
Namesakes
  • Holly Hunter · American actress, born 1958
  • Holly Marie Combs · American actress, born 1973
  • Holly Madison · American television personality, born 1979
  • Holly Valance · Australian actress and singer, born 1983
  • Holly Black · American children's fiction writer, born 1971

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.