Molly

#196 for girls in 2025, 1,601 births · Last seen for boys in 2014 at #12,108
Given to girls 99.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1991 · 4,652 births
Debut · girls
18 births
In top 100 · girls
21 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
176,127
since 1880

Molly over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201979peak #74, 1991girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1961,601—
2024#2081,474—
2023#2091,437—
2022#1991,481—
2021#1861,583—
2020#1731,645—
2019#1611,757—
2018#1571,799—
2017#1661,829—
2016#1571,986—
2015#1442,254—
2014#1222,605#12,1085
2013#1023,084—
2012#903,261#8,1589
2011#783,616#9,6007
2010#873,362#9,6937
2009#923,510—
2008#1043,321#12,5535
2007#973,415#10,9216
2006#1053,127#10,6626
2005#973,215#9,1157
2004#973,344#3,36828
2003#993,403—
2002#1073,119—
2001#903,415—
2000#963,402#8,2097
1999#1023,326#6,5309
1998#1083,192#8,4796
1997#983,452—
1996#993,312#7,9716
1995#983,382—
1994#953,441#7,7706
1993#873,708#8,7005
1992#834,137#5,6609
1991#744,652#4,76011
1990#803,965#5,3829
1989#933,460#2,10633
1988#863,461#2,86019
1987#972,891#3,95911
1986#1102,548#4,13010
1985#1192,434#4,6988
1984#1312,178#2,95615
1983#1292,311#3,23013
1982#1312,317#2,42620
1981#1352,089#3,60111
1980#1332,202#3,61511
1979#1392,022#4,4038
1978#1421,931#3,8579
1977#1412,067#3,38611
1976#1501,729#3,7249
1975#1701,547#4,7976
1974#1791,480#5,2275
1973#1951,329#4,0547
1972#2261,234#4,4416
1971#2481,185—
1970#2591,191—
1969#2651,093—
1968#2651,020—
1967#2651,016—
1966#265984—
1965#2641,062—
1964#2901,001—
1963#320859—
1962#327821—
1961#337781—
1960#361727—
1959#344763—
1958#343746—
1957#341699—
1956#343654—
1955#344622—
1954#352599—
1953#346582—
1952#332617—
1951#320612—
1950#324564—
1949#328556—
1948#331562—
1947#366484—
1946#370415—
1945#387333—
1944#367366—
1943#366386—
1942#362375—
1941#363339—
1940#349345—
1939#340348—
1938#359329—
1937#369306—
1936#357316—
1935#363301—
1934#369291—
1933#393271—
1932#360315—
1931#370300—
1930#362342—
1929#375320—
1928#381315—
1927#430258—
1926#433255—
1925#443241—
1924#404290—
1923#387293—
1922#396277—
1921#384302—
1920#427246—
1919#400258—
1918#374306—
1917#356310—
1916#336333—
1915#331325—
1914#336247—
1913#345197—
1912#323197—
1911#353129—
1910#316145—
1909#343109—
1908#358101—
1907#324113—
1906#36286—
1905#40171—
1904#39272—
1903#37075—
1902#42054—
1901#39755—
1900#40767—
1899#42447—
1898#49139—
1897#41450—
1896#40949—
1895#42145—
1894#46336—
1893#35358—
1892#37351—
1891#44033—
1890#36946—
1889#41035—
1888#40337—
1887#37832—
1886#40029—
1885#37330—
1884#34932—
1883#32430—
1882#32330—
1881#27733—
1880#38818—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Molly was already there! It came in at #388, and was given to 18 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880, when fewer than 19 girls a year got the name.

Where Molly is popular in 1979

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #154 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 536 girlsAKMaine: #128 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 554 girlsMEVermont: #67 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 247 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #89 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 371 girlsNHWashington: #79 for girls · 67 births · 1 in 378 girlsWAIdaho: #95 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 406 girlsIDMontana: #105 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 425 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #112 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 462 girlsNDMinnesota: #37 for girls · 160 births · 1 in 174 girlsMNIllinois: #121 for girls · 124 births · 1 in 602 girlsILWisconsin: #78 for girls · 82 births · 1 in 373 girlsWIMichigan: #130 for girls · 89 births · 1 in 669 girlsMINew York: #192 for girls · 98 births · 1 in 1,009 girlsNYMassachusetts: #128 for girls · 51 births · 1 in 601 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Molly, so not publishedRIOregon: #56 for girls · 59 births · 1 in 284 girlsORNevada: #126 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 465 girlsNVWyoming: #84 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 318 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #78 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 313 girlsSDIowa: #54 for girls · 77 births · 1 in 256 girlsIAIndiana: #132 for girls · 54 births · 1 in 671 girlsINOhio: #85 for girls · 167 births · 1 in 432 girlsOHPennsylvania: #119 for girls · 119 births · 1 in 575 girlsPANew Jersey: #397 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 2,657 girlsNJConnecticut: #213 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 1,225 girlsCTCalifornia: #203 for girls · 164 births · 1 in 996 girlsCAUtah: #144 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 643 girlsUTColorado: #87 for girls · 51 births · 1 in 366 girlsCONebraska: #92 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 396 girlsNEMissouri: #98 for girls · 63 births · 1 in 513 girlsMOKentucky: #194 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 1,020 girlsKYWest Virginia: #191 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 937 girlsWVVirginia: #149 for girls · 39 births · 1 in 748 girlsVAMaryland: #165 for girls · 23 births · 1 in 847 girlsMDDelaware: #141 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 552 girlsDEArizona: #378 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 1,984 girlsAZNew Mexico: #180 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 722 girlsNMKansas: #102 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 449 girlsKSArkansas: #311 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 1,851 girlsARTennessee: #298 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,899 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #230 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 1,264 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #249 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,327 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #282 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,112 girlsDCOklahoma: #176 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 841 girlsOKLouisiana: #304 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,721 girlsLAMississippi: #361 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,948 girlsMSAlabama: #266 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 1,432 girlsALGeorgia: #252 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 1,345 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Molly, so not publishedHITexas: #288 for girls · 73 births · 1 in 1,522 girlsTXFlorida: #343 for girls · 22 births · 1 in 2,131 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Minnesota#37 · 1 in 174
  2. Iowa#54 · 1 in 256
  3. Oregon#56 · 1 in 284
  4. Vermont#67 · 1 in 247
  5. South Dakota#78 · 1 in 313

Best ever in a state: #16 in Vermont, 2005.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Minnesota#371601 in 174
Iowa#54771 in 256
Oregon#56591 in 284
Vermont#67101 in 247
South Dakota#78151 in 313
Wisconsin#78821 in 373
Washington#79671 in 378
Wyoming#8491 in 318
Ohio#851671 in 432
Colorado#87511 in 366
New Hampshire#89131 in 371
Nebraska#92261 in 396
Idaho#95171 in 406
Missouri#98631 in 513
Kansas#102321 in 449
Montana#105111 in 425
North Dakota#112101 in 462
Pennsylvania#1191191 in 575
Illinois#1211241 in 602
Nevada#12681 in 465
Maine#128111 in 554
Massachusetts#128511 in 601
Michigan#130891 in 669
Indiana#132541 in 671
Delaware#14151 in 552
Utah#144251 in 643
Virginia#149391 in 748
Alaska#15451 in 536
Maryland#165231 in 847
Oklahoma#176221 in 841
New Mexico#180121 in 722
West Virginia#191131 in 937
New York#192981 in 1,009
Kentucky#194241 in 1,020
California#2031641 in 996
Connecticut#213121 in 1,225
North Carolina#230261 in 1,264
South Carolina#249131 in 1,327
Georgia#252251 in 1,345
Alabama#266161 in 1,432
District of Columbia#28251 in 1,112
Texas#288731 in 1,522
Tennessee#298151 in 1,899
Louisiana#304171 in 1,721
Arkansas#31171 in 1,851
Florida#343221 in 2,131
Mississippi#36181 in 1,948
Arizona#37891 in 1,984
New Jersey#397141 in 2,657
Hawaii———
Rhode Island———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Molly
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 12 spots since 2024 (#208 → #196)
  • 23 spots since 2020 (#173 → #196)
  • 52 spots since 2015 (#144 → #196)
  • Biggest jump: 111 spots in 1881 (#388 → #277)
  • Biggest drop: 110 spots in 1894 (#353 → #463)
Rise & fade · girls
111 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1991 at #74 (4,652 births)
  • Births halved by 2015, 24 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 21 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 21 yrs · run 1987–1997
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 403
  • Highest: 1 in 403 girls born in 1991 were named Molly (0.25%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,004 girls born in 2025 (0.10%)
Era · girls
The 1990s
  • 20.8% of all girls named Molly (36,567) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s306#277 (1881)#363
1890s454#353 (1893)#416
1900s803#324 (1907)#377
1910s2,447#316 (1910)#347
1920s2,797#375 (1929)#406
1930s3,119#340 (1939)#364
1940s4,161#328 (1949)#359
1950s6,458#320 (1951)#339
1960s9,364#264 (1965)#296
1970s15,715#139 (1979)#185
1980s25,891#86 (1988)#116
1990s36,567#74 (1991)#92
2000s33,271#90 (2001)#98
2010s25,553#78 (2011)#126
2020s9,221#173 (2020)#195

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Molly in 1979

girls
#139
2,022 births · 1 in 794 girls
boys
#4,403
8 births · 1 in 215,192 boys

Top girls' names in 1979

  1. #1Jennifer56,712
  2. #2Melissa34,050
  3. #3Amanda31,924
  4. #4Jessica27,780
  5. #5Amy21,609
  6. #6Sarah21,015
  7. #7Heather20,834
  8. #8Angela20,256
  9. #9Nicole19,510
  10. #10Michelle19,266
  11. #139Molly2,022

Top boys' names in 1979

  1. #1Michael67,713
  2. #2Christopher50,659
  3. #3Jason50,369
  4. #4David42,053
  5. #5James39,351
  6. #6Matthew35,621
  7. #7John35,410
  8. #8Robert34,015
  9. #9Joshua31,120
  10. #10Brian28,659
  11. #4,403Molly8
More about 1979

girls

1,605,268 girls got a published name in 1979; 1 in 794 of them was named Molly, which outranked 98.8% of the 11,972 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Molly
  1. #136Cindy2,087
  2. #137Kendra2,069
  3. #138Carolyn2,053
  4. #139Molly2,022
  5. #140Jodi1,977
  6. #141Monique1,975
  7. #142Carla1,969
Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,593Breanne#2,125 → #532
  2. ↑ 1,527Loni#2,516 → #989
  3. ↑ 1,287Renata#2,012 → #725
  4. ↑ 985Ashanti#1,862 → #877
  5. ↑ 896Nicolette#1,581 → #685
Fallers
  1. ↓ 392Christel#762 → #1,154
  2. ↓ 312Kenisha#557 → #869
  3. ↓ 297Ariane#887 → #1,184
  4. ↓ 285Imelda#947 → #1,232
  5. ↓ 252Farrah#539 → #791

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,721,536 boys got a published name in 1979; 1 in 215,192 of them was named Molly, which outranked 37.7% of the 7,071 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Molly
  1. #4,068Zachari9
  2. #4,068Zebedee9
  3. #4,068Zeth9
  4. #4,403Molly8
  5. #4,403Abiel8
  6. #4,403Abu8
  7. #4,403Acie8
  8. #4,842Abasi7
  9. #4,842Abdiel7
  10. #4,842Abed7

Tied with 438 names at #4,403; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1978
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,228Tyrel#2,134 → #906
  2. ↑ 471Jace#1,186 → #715
  3. ↑ 387Chaz#1,371 → #984
  4. ↑ 311Tyrell#1,051 → #740
  5. ↑ 308Frederic#1,203 → #895
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,230Dequan#927 → #2,157
  2. ↓ 641Rahsaan#869 → #1,510
  3. ↓ 446Chip#989 → #1,435
  4. ↓ 308Rashaun#996 → #1,304
  5. ↓ 307Kenya#749 → #1,056

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1979 →