Polly has been overlooked for decades, even as Molly has become a modern staple.
Thanks to Claire for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
Polly: Mary
Mary – long a go-to name for girls – evolved into Malle and Molly over the years. For reasons that are lost to time, Molly’s M became a P, and voila – another nickname for Mary.
Name enthusiasts know all of this, of course. But a little Mary called Polly might cause confusion in 2016. They just plain sound like two separate names.
Besides, we can rattle off plenty of famous Pollys who did not answer to Mary – as far as we know.
The girl who puts the kettle on in the nursery rhyme answers to the name. So does Tom Sawyer’s aunt.
It’s been associated with parrots – and crackers – since at least 1616.
“Polly Wolly Doodle” was published in 1880, and sung by Shirley Temple on the silver screen in 1935.
In 1913, Eleanor Porter gave the name Pollyanna to the heroine of her novel. Porter’s girl was a super-optimistic orphan, selfless and always doing right. Mary Pickford and Hayley Mills are among the actresses to take on the role.
You might also think of the small dolls known as Polly Pockets, a sort of mini Barbie.
CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series includes a character by the name, as does Margaret Sidney’s Five Little Peppers.
Meg, the heroine of A Wrinkle in Time, grows up over several books and has a daughter named Polyhymnia – as in the Greek muse – who prefers Polly as a nickname.
Polly: Edgier
Between the sunshiny orphan, the children’s toys, and nursery rhyme, this name can take on a sweet, even saccharine, vibe. But plenty of uses take this name in another direction.
It was the given name of actresses Holliday – if you remember 1970s sitcom Alice, she played sassy waitress Flo; Draper, of thirtysomething fame; and Emmy winner Bergen. Piper’s best friend, pre-prison, in Orange is the New Black, also answers to the name.
Proof that the name can – and does! – grow up nicely.
Polly: Music and Lyrics
In 1728, John Gay penned The Beggar’s Opera, a satirical take on the Italian operas popular in London at the time. His Polly is the virtuous daughter of a criminal mastermind. After a whirlwind romance, she plans to marry Mack the Knife – also a crook.
Bertolt Brecht adapted it as The Threepenny Opera in 1928. Threepenny was originally German, but translations quickly followed.
The Kinks also recorded a song by the name. So did Nirvana. It’s the given name of alt rock musician PJ Harvey, too.
Polly: 21st Century
Jennifer Aniston wore the name in 2004 romcom Along Came Polly, but the movie failed to inspire parents.
In fact, the name last appeared in the US Top 1000 way back in 1977. 1980 marked the last year more than 100 girls were given the name. In 2015, we welcomed just 50 newborn Pollys.
In sharp contrast, Molly ranked in the US Top 100 from 1987 through 2012 – a good run. Even as the name fades, more than 2,200 girls were born Molly in 2015.
It’s possible to see Polly as a nickname for Paulina, Penelope, Pomeline, or even Apolline. Some many of those names are quite rare, and it might be a stretch for popular Penelope.
And yet, if you’re seeking a sweet, simple name for a daughter that everybody recognizes but no one is using, this name belongs on your shortlist.
Why do you think Polly has been so neglected while Molly has become a favorite?
This post was originally published on July 1, 2011. It was substantially revised and reposted on June 30, 2016.
My name is Polly (not a nickname) and I love it! I’ve only ever met one other Polly who was probably 70 (I’m 20). My middle name is Lenora and I just think my full name is so unique. Both names are from great great grandmas, so they are dated but not common. That’s what makes them so great!
I seriously considered naming my daughter Paloma nn Polly (we went with Margaret nn Maisy).
Polly’s great! I’ve liked this name since I met a young woman called Polly when I was in college. I don’t know if it was her given name or a nickname.
With vintage nickname type names on the rise like Penny, I can definitely see Polly rising in the ranks. I’m surprised by its low usage, and I agree that it’s a great alternative for Molly. I actually prefer Polly as a nickname for Paloma.
I love Polly. Even as a stand-alone. I think it’s very sweet but grows up well.
The Nirvana song IS dark, dark, dark. Some assumed it was about the Polly Klaas tragedy, but apparently it was another sad story of a Polly … so despite her happy, upbeat sound, there is sorrow there, too. Still, I do love Polly, especially as a nickname for Penelope.
I love Polly as a nickname for Pomeline or Penelope. It’s my favorite nickname for either of those, and they’re both high on my list. I definitely think of it as wholesome, but with a lot of sassy spunk! The biggest negative for me is “Polly wanna cracker”, I feel like she would get that all the time and it would get really old. The Nirvana song bothers me, too.
My name’s Polly and I absolutely love it, I get so many compliments and it suits me I think. It suits me as a teenager, it did as a cute baby and I can see myself as a grandmother Polly. As for “Polly wanna cracker” I think I’ve gotten it twice in my life and it usually result in people giving me free food (offering me a cracker) so I don’t mind! I’m Polly Hannah 🙂
Polly is a recent favorite of mine, so thanks for profiling her, Abby! I prefer her as a standalone name, like Molly. Like some other posters, I always associated her with the perky Pollyanna, but I’ve changed my tune. I’m a writer and the the heroine of my next novel (provided I ever finish my current one) will be called Polly.
I was surprised to hear P.J. Harvey’s real name, because my parent’s almost named me Paulie Jean. 8) Probably because I’m blonde and I’ve imagined Polly/Paulie as my alter ego, I always assume girls with the name as dark, brunettes… so the references to freckles and red hair are intriguing.
It’s not likely that I would use this Polly, mainly because Meg, Margery, Penny, Nellie and Lina are all favorite nicknames that I’d chose first.
I just can’t get past Pollyanna, which sounds like a blindly optimistic naif to me. I don’t really mind Polly as a nn for longer names like Pomeline, but in which case I prefer Poppy.
I’ve never heard of the name Pomeline. What’s the source of that name? I just checked SSA’s Beyond the Top 1000 names for 2010 and no Pomeline there. Behindthename has two reader submitted listings for the name:
Usage: French
Frequency: rare:
Pronounced: pom-uh-LEEN or POM-uh-leen
Pomeline is of French origin meaning “Apple”.
And …Usage: French
Pronounced: POM-uh-leen
Famous bearer: Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, fourth in line to the throne of Monaco
Has anyone ever met a Pomeline???
Answering part of my question, I googled Pomiline and see that Abby profiled the name in October 2008. http://appellationmountain.net/2008/10/03/name-of-the-day-pomeline/ Interesting name, but being so French, I can’t see using it to get to the nn Polly.
Whenever you see a name in bold with a hyperlink, that means that I’ve written about it before – so yup, Pomeline was profiled back in 2008!
Madeleine L’Engle had a great feel for names: Meg, Poly, Charles Wallace, Camilla, Theron. There’s probably a whole post there.
And her middle name was Hannah – very similar to Pollyanna.
When I hear Polly I instantly think of Polly Klaas, that beautiful 12-year-old who was kidnapped – at her own slumber party – and murdered in Petaluma, CA. I was living in the area at the time, and the story was MASSIVE. Although that was many years ago – 1993 – the name still represents a lot of sadness to me, which is a shame since it’s such a happy, sparkly appellation. Polly’s first name was simply Polly – it wasn’t a nickname in her case. Her death is the reason why California has the Three Strikes Law.
I associate Polly with the names of Colonial America. Jefferson had a daughter called Polly, given name Maria, and younger sister to Martha “Patsy”. I love Polly on a little girl, but might want to use a more grown-up sounding given name although I’ve never found a name that would work for me. When we were living in Canada and our oldest daughter was a toddler, I heard the song “Miss Polly had a dolly…” on a children’s TV program. Over the years we’ve sung the Miss Polly song to — and with — all of the little girls in our family, and my husband has turned “Polly” into a generic term for “little girl”, sometimes calling one of our granddaughters “Polly” or “Miss Polly”.
Polly ranks much higher in England/Wales — #311 (147 girls) in 2009 — than it does in the USA, where only 36 baby girls were given that name in 2009 and 35 in 2010. Perhaps Polly’s greater use in England/Wales is a reflection of the popularity there of the similar Poppy, #22 in 2009. Molly placed at #40. Of the three, I far prefer Polly. Recent birth announcements in the UK included two little girls named Polly – Polly Anne and Polly Elizabeth.
Polly was in the SSA Top 1000 from 1880 – 1975, with a brief reappearance in 1977. The name’s highest popularity during that time span was in 1881 when it ranked 225.
Pollyanna is still being used in England/Wales, where 19 girls given the name in 2009, whereas in the US, with a much larger population, less than 5 girls (any?) were named Pollyanna in 2010.
I think just about everyone knows how much I adore Pomeline, nn Polly! Polly isn’t enough for me as a standalone but as a nickname, just adorable! I have a cousin, David, married to a Peggy who goes by Polly far more often. I don’t know know if it’s a favored nn or just something that happened by accident, it just *is* her. She’s a redhead, too!
Polly’s sweet, simple and absolutely darling in both sound & looks, what’s not to love? 😀
Thank you for the Madeleine L’engle shout-out! A Wrinkle in Time is when my love affair with Margaret as a name started 🙂 Not too fond of Polly (or other nick-name names) on its own but as short for something it’d be cute