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. She 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 in the title role 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 lighter note, she’s a 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 the little-girl-lost turned teenaged rebel 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.”
The name 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.
We named our daughter Sally after a character from a BBC series, “The Irish R.M.” and from the little girl in Robert McCloskey’s “Blueberries for Sal.” Our Sal is a corker. She is blonde and bumptious, full of fun, everything a Sally should be. I call her my Pearl, because she is priceless.She is now in her 20’s and still one of a kind, like every other Sally I have know. She is a cake decorator!
Thank you, Abby, for your thoughtful response! The name is on my list, along with my other (deceased) grandmother’s name, Pearl. I can’t help but fantasize about two daughters named Sally & Pearl!
Your website is so wonderful and I so enjoy reading it and anxiously await every Name of the Day! I also was touched by your recent post about infertility. After nearly 2 years my husband and I are still waiting to have a single positive pregnancy test, but I know we’ll be parents someday and I’ll get to put my name expertise to the test! 🙂
My Grandmother’s name is Sally! She was born in the 1930’s. So yes, it definitely seems like a Grandma or Great Grandma name right now. I would be surprised to meet anyone in their 20’s through 50’s named this, but 60’s and up, definitely!
I love my grandmother so much and we are very close; I would be thrilled to name a daughter after her. Do you think Sally is due for a revival? I wonder how it would be perceived to hear of a Baby Sally today. Would it be like the Evelyns, Hazels, Charlottes, and Vivians? As in, a nice, vintage name that sounds fresh? Or is it too soon for Sally? Names like Linda, Deborah and Barbara seem way too early and I don’t think they’ll be back for another 30-40 years. I wouldn’t lump Sally in that category, but would others? Either way, when it’s time for Sally to be revived, I doubt she’ll become as popular as Evelyn & Lily. I think Sally has always been familiar but not over-used.
Anyways, I have some agonizing to do about the name. It is so very happy & cheery!
It is a cherry, happy name! I’m biased – I have a friend called Sallie who makes me see the name in a different light. She’s smart, edgy, and stylish, so Sally has never felt aged to me. I think a little Sally would probably have friends named Molly and Callie and Hailey, so even if the name isn’t common anymore, she wouldn’t sound out of place. I imagine lots of adults would say, “Oh, you never that hear that name anymore.” But in some ways, these make for the best names – familiar, easy to spell, but not shared.
My name is also Sally. It’s my actual name too, but my parents gave me Sara(h) as a nickname. I always felt weird about my name since I too have been the only Sally in elementary, middle, and high school. I’m always wishing I’ll meet another Sally just to see what it feels like. Any Sally I’ve heard of (like my friend’s mom’s friend or my other friend’s mom who lives all the way in Ohio) are older women… Like I said, it feels weird to have a name that was popular way in the 1930s40s50s, but I guess it’s unique and it makes me stand out haha~ I’ve grown to like my name a lot (except when people call me “that girl”…).
My name is Sally, short for Sally. My father named me and always told me that it meant to go forth boldly. Turns out it means more like an unplanned attack from a vulnerable position, to rush out desperately into no-man’s-land. Don Quixote’s adventures are called his first, second, and third sallies. I hope that’s the end of it being pretty, positive, and cute.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.