Polly
A pet form of Mary, English in use but Hebrew at root. Barely known in Poland: about twenty women carry it, and only one small clutch of girls has ever been registered with it.
Polly Pronunciation
Polly is pronounced POL-lih (/ˈpɔllɨ/).
What Polly means
Where Polly comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Polly begins in Hebrew, in the name Miriam, which English readers know as Mary. From Mary came Molly, a soft pet form. Then Molly turned into Polly, through one of those rhyming swaps where an M becomes a P. English played the same trick to make Peggy from Meg and Bob from Rob.
The name took to the English stage early. Polly Peachum sings and schemes through John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, first performed in 1728. Later the name drifted onto parrots. Anyone who has heard "Polly wants a cracker" has met that habit.
Polly stayed English, and it stayed small. It never stood in for the full name Mary. The meaning is plain and modest: Polly is a little Mary, a diminutive meant for daily use.
How many people are named Polly
1 in 1127192 women in Poland is named Polly. 20 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #10042 among female names.
Polly's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been stable for a decade.
Polly as a middle name
Polly is a first name for 20 women in Poland and a middle name for another 4, an 83/17 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 4349th, between Poliksena (4) and Primrose (4).
-
#4347 Piper4
-
#4348 Poliksena4
-
#4349 Polly4
-
#4350 Primrose4
-
#4351 Pryscylla4