She’s Charlie Brown’s little sister, Lightning McQueen’s best girl, and Don Draper’s damaged daughter.
She’s also the person who helped me set up my very first blog. Our Baby Name of the Day is Sally.
The Biblical Sarah has a long history of use. While her status as a Top Ten choice is a twentieth-century phenomenon, there’s no shortage of notable Sarahs in the history books, from actresses and poets to controversial politicians.
So it is no wonder that Sarah has nicknames aplenty. Diminutive Sadie is all the rage these days, but what of the retro Sally?
Plenty of names swapped their “r” sound for an “l” over the years – Mary became Molly, Harold became Hal. And so Sarah has been Sal, Sallie, and Sally through the years. Sallie was the dominant spelling into the nineteenth century, ranking in the US Top 100 into 1900.
After that, the -y ending eclipsed the -ie version. Sally ranked in the US Top 100 from 193o through 1955, peaking at #52 in 1939. She’s been out of the rankings since 2004. (Sallie last charted in 1969.)
There’s no way to know how many girls baptized Sarah would’ve actually answered to Sal. We do have a written account from one – Sally Wister’s Journal, penned by a young woman living in Philadelphia during the British occupation in 1777.
Fast forward to the twentieth century. In 1929, when the four Warner Brothers were still at the helm of their fledgling studio, Sally became the sixth color film they released. Ziegfield Follies alum Marilyn Miller became a star as Sally on Broadway in 1920; for a record-setting salary, she did the same on the silver screen.
The character was an orphan named after the telephone exchange (think Pennsylvania 6-500) where she was abandoned as a baby. After some hijinks and romantic misunderstandings, all ends happily, with Sally fulfilling her dream of becoming a dancer.
And so the name began her ascent:
- Born in 1937, actress Sally Kellerman is best remembered as Hot Lips Houlihan in the 1970 movie MASH;
- Talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael was born in 1942;
- Television star and Oscar-winning actress Sally Field arrived in 1946;
- Fellow TV alum Sally Struthers was born a year later;
- 1951 gave us Sally Ride, the first American woman in space;
- In 1963, British actress Sally Whittaker was born – she’s a staple on Coronation Street as Sally Webster.
That leads us to more fictional bearers of the name:
- In 1959, Peanuts creator Charles Schulz used the name for Charlie’s little sister;
- Isaac Asimov’s “Sally” gave the name to a thinking car;
- On a far more light-hearted note, Sally Carrera is the 2002 Porsche 911 in Disney Pixar hit Cars;
- Cabaret’s singer was Sally Bowles, as made famous by Liza Minneli;
- When Harry Met Sally featured Meg Ryan as the memorable, finicky Sally;
- Most recently, there’s little-girl-lost Sally Draper on Mad Men.
And we can’t forget musical nods, including:
- Gracie Field’s “Sally,” used for her 1931 film debut Sally in Our Alley;
- The oft-recorded “Long Tall Sally,” made famous by Little Richard;
- Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” from 1967;
- Eric Clapton’s 1977 country-fried “Lay Down Sally.”
Sally has a lot of spark, partially because of the phrase “to sally forth” – to set out on adventure, from the French saillir via the Latin salire – to leap. Sally Forth has been a character in two comic strips – the bawdy 1960s/70s eye candy in a military publication and later, a modern working mom.
While she’s dated, she might just find favor with hipster parents disappointed that everyone is using Sadie.
I like Sally. Like Molly, it has a happy, friendly sound without being too cutesy.
I’ve always liked Sally; I almost think of it as a dark, gothic name thanks to the rag doll in ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. She was Sally, right?
Sally was my grandmother, who died in 1989, when I was 11. She was born Sarah, but never went by it – kind of like Amy to Abby, I guess.
My son Sam is named for her. Although I can’t imagine naming a girl Sally today, the name always fills me with cheer because it has such a happy association for me.
It is a cheerful name! Maybe Ethan or Sam will give you a granddaughter called Sally. In 30 years, that is.
I’ve always liked Sally for the “Mustang Sally” association. I love Mustangs and have had them all my life, and that song is one of my favorites. Maybe someday…
I love Sally and considered it last time around, but my husband wasn’t on board at all. It’s a family name, and the main Sally it would be after actually hated her name and went by her middle.
Now it’s a little tongue-twistery with my daughter’s name. I think of Sandra Bullock from Practical Magic.
Sally was a small town girl from Nebraska? No. I cannot like this name. There is something depressing about it. It makes me think of an ill-fated character and I don’t know why.
The only Sally I ever knew was actually names Salome. I’d love it if one of my many friends named Sarah opted for Sally as a nickname.
*named
Like Photoquilty, I have a familial association that is extremely positive: my great aunt Sally. She was born in the 20s and was also Sarah, but always went by Sally. She passed away when I was in college. Three awesome things about her: she traveled to all seven continents (yes, including Antarctica), she earned her PhD back in the day when there weren’t all that many ladies doing so, and she was an awesome great aunt. But her name? Sarah – oh yes, very nice. Elizabeth (her middle) – lovely (I have an aunt whose name is the inversion of Sally’s name and goes by Betsy). But Sally? Erm, um, no. I just can’t get into it. I can understand the appeal in a cerebral way, but I think it’s gonna take a few decades for it to feel ‘rested’ enough to genuinely like the sound of it.
Sally sounds like such a happy name to me! I’m not sure that I would ever use it as a full name though, it seems more on the nickname side.
I owe Sallie Mae entirely too much money for student loans to ever use the name for someone I love. Nope. Can’t do it.
Ha! Of course! Sallie Mae! Yes, I’ve been writing checks (well, electronically transferring payments) to Sallie Mae for more than a decade, and still have at least a decade more of doing so ahead of me… you are so right – not really a check in the ‘positive’ column!
We didn’t do Salome in part because of our fear of this nickname. I associate it with women in their 40s and 50s. But seeing everyone’s positive talk about the name, I’ve taken a small step toward seeing it in a different light. And I confess my ignorance: I had no idea it was a nn for Sarah.
If I had a different surname to bestow, Sarah, called Sally would be near the top of my list. Like other posters have said it’s a rather cheerful name to give to a daughter.
An old friend of mine is named Alessandra, nicknamed Sally.
I love Sally! A friend of mine had a little sister named Sally. She is now early twenties and GORGEOUS and I think her name is so distinctive for her generation. I would have a Sally and Betsy sibset in a heartbeat.
Well, my name is Sally. I’ve always gone by Sally, even though my name is Sara Elizabeth. I was named after my great grandmother, Sara Elizabeth, who also went by Sally. I love my name, and the nick names associated with it. Mustang Sally is a little tough to listen to at weddings. Not really a fan of that one. However, I really like Eric Clapton’s Lay Down Sally. I’ve never been a Sara. It’s a little confusing to people who see my formal name as Sara and have no idea where the nickname Sally came from. The bank sometimes gives me trouble if I try to cash checks written to Sally. Most other Sallys I have met also are officially named Sara. Other than the confusion regarding the nickname, it’s a great, happy, unique name to have.
Pingback: Baby Name of the Day: Indie | Appellation Mountain
Pingback: Baby Name of the Day: Nerine | Appellation Mountain
Pingback: Baby Name of the Day: Tess | Appellation Mountain
Pingback: Baby Name of the Day: Mamie | Appellation Mountain
Count me in as another Sara, nicknamed Sally. The really wonderful thing about this name is that virtually everyone has heard of it, but very few know anyone who goes by it. I’m in my 20s and I was THE ONLY Sally in my entire elementary school, middle school, high school AND college. (And this after several moves, too.) It’s a great feeling, to have a name not in the top 1000 – you really standout. I feel like Sally’s due for a comeback. It’s easy to say, easy to spell and yet – for whatever reason – extremely rare. And I love Mustang Sally.
Pingback: Sunday Summary: 12/4/11 | Appellation Mountain
Pingback: Fetching Names: Borrowed from the Beatles | Appellation Mountain