Holly
Latin at root, named for the holly tree (Polish ostrokrzew). Almost no Pole has met one: it stays well beyond the top 1,000, though a small run of newborn girls has it climbing again.
Holly Pronunciation
Holly is pronounced KHOL-lih (/ˈxɔllɨ/).
What Holly means
Where Holly comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Holly names a tree first. The evergreen with red berries and spiky leaves carries the Latin name Ilex aquifolium, and English speakers turned the plant into a given name. The word points to the holly tree, ostrokrzew in Polish, the same bush that hangs in windows in December.
As a first name Holly stayed rare until the twentieth century. Then it spread across English-speaking countries. Truman Capote gave the name its best-known bearer in 1958. His Holly Golightly, from Breakfast at Tiffany's, fixed the name in print and later on screen.
Many girls called Holly were born near Christmas, when the plant decorates doorways. Picture a school register in January. One Holly sits among the Zuzannas and Julias. The name still points to one plant, the holly tree, ostrokrzew.
How many people are named Holly
1 in 168238 women in Poland is named Holly. 134 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2863 among female names.
Holly's popularity over time
4 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #1055 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2023.
Where Holly is most popular
Holly is most popular in Lesser Poland, 852% above the national average (3 girls born 2019–2025).
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Lesser Poland3 girls born+852%
Holly as a middle name
Holly is a first name for 134 women in Poland and a middle name for another 31, an 81/19 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 1258th, between Geraldine (31) and Iman (31).
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#1256 Gail31
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#1257 Geraldine31
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#1258 Holly31
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#1259 Iman31
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#1260 Iryna31