Holly
A girls’ name of Old English origin, meaning the holly plant.
How Holly has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #491 |
| 2016 | #527 |
| 2017 | #493 |
| 2018 | #513 |
| 2019 | #483 |
| 2020 | #479 |
| 2021 | #466 |
| 2022 | #459 |
| 2023 | #450 |
| 2024 | #419 |
| 2025 | #416 |
Holly by the numbers
In 2025, 285 babies in England and Wales were named Holly. In the US, 629 were, though that figure is from 2017, the most recent full year we hold.
For the size of the two countries, it is given noticeably more often in England and Wales than in the US.
Its American peak was 6,388 babies in 1983, so it is a 1980s name that has since fallen a long way.
At its height, in 1975, about 1 in 310 American girls born that year was called Holly.
Names that come from Holly
Forms of Holly in other languages, names built from it, and names that mean a son or daughter of it. Not always the same sex.
Spelled almost the same
Other names in the records within a letter or two of Holly. Close spellings are not always related names, but they are usually worth seeing together.
- Hollynfrom the hollow; a modern respelling of Holly83 in the US (2017)
- Holleyholly tree; a form of Holly41 in the US (2017)
- Holliholly tree; a form of Holly19 in the US (2017)
- Holysacred, holy4 in England and Wales (2025)
- Hallyrock; stone; a form of Hallie6 in the US (2017)
- Haleyhay meadow; dweller in the hay clearing943 in the US (2017)
Sounds like Holly
Names that are said the same way as Holly, however they are written. Sounding alike does not mean they share a history.
- Hollieholly tree; a form of Holly97 in England and Wales (2025)
Other names that mean a plant or herb
Like Holly, each of these has a plant or herb in its meaning. Different names, different histories, the same idea.
- Ivythe ivy plant; faithfulness1,698 in England and Wales (2025)
- Hadleyheather field2,726 in the US (2017)
- Juniperthe juniper plant; symbol of protection186 in England and Wales (2025)
- Rosemarydew of the sea; the herb rosemary687 in the US (2017)
- Briarthorny shrub, bramble640 in the US (2017)
- Azaleadry; a flowering plant518 in the US (2017)
Names about as common as Holly
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