Dolly

Dolly: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “gift of God”
Origin: English
Say it: DAHL-ee · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

English diminutive of Dorothy or sometimes Dolores. As a form of Dorothy, it goes back to Greek elements meaning 'gift of God'.

English names Names meaning gift Names meaning faith Vintage names Short names

How popular is Dolly?

202438.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Dolly in 2024127

2024 rank#1,623 girls

Peak year1908

Total US babies since 188020,523

Dolly is rising: use over the last five years is 5.1× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Dolly

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Dorothygift of God · Greek
Dottiegift of God · English
Dolliegift of God · English
Dorthygift of God · Greek
Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English

Dolly questions

What does the name Dolly mean?

Dolly means "gift of God". It comes from English. English diminutive of Dorothy or sometimes Dolores. As a form of Dorothy, it goes back to Greek elements meaning 'gift of God'.

Is Dolly a boy or girl name?

Dolly is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Dolly?

127 US babies were named Dolly in 2024. Its peak year was 1908.

How do you pronounce Dolly?

Dolly is usually pronounced DAHL-ee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.