Ally
A diminutive of Alexandra, feminine form of Alexander, meaning "defender of mankind".
Name Census estimates that about 10,006 living Americans carry the first name Ally. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ally today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ally births was 1998 (636 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ally. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
10K
~ 1 in 34,255 Americans
Peak year
1998
636 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,876
Tracked since 1985
Gender
Gender distribution for Ally
Out of the 10,158 babies given the name Ally since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Ally as a male name
- Ranked #9,915 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Ally as a female name
- Ranked #1,876 in 2024
- 106 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (636 births)
Popularity
Ally: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ally from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 4,149 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ally by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ally during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Allys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Ally, while New Mexico, North Dakota, Alaska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 205 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ally
The name Ally is a diminutive form of the female name Alice, derived from the Old French name Alis, which in turn originated from the German name Adalheidis. Adalheidis was a Germanic name composed of the elements "adal," meaning noble, and "heid," meaning kind or sort.
The name Alice gained popularity in medieval France and England after being brought over by the Normans in the 11th century. The shortened form Ally emerged as a nickname for Alice, particularly in English-speaking countries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ally can be found in the 16th century play "The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd, where a character named Ally appears. The name Ally was also used as a character name in various literary works throughout the centuries.
In the religious context, Ally does not have any direct historical significance, as it is a diminutive form rather than a name with its own distinct meaning or origin.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ally, including:
1. Ally Sheedy (born 1962), an American actress known for her roles in films like "The Breakfast Club" and "WarGames."
2. Ally McBeal (fictional character), the titular character of the popular TV series "Ally McBeal," which aired from 1997 to 2002.
3. Ally Brooke (born 1993), an American singer and member of the girl group Fifth Harmony.
4. Ally Carter (born 1976), an American author best known for her young adult spy fiction novels, including the "Gallagher Girls" series.
5. Ally Wister (1869-1957), an American writer and poet who was part of the literary circle in Philadelphia.
While the name Ally has gained popularity in recent times, its origins can be traced back to the medieval era, with its roots in the German and French languages, and its connection to the name Alice.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ally
People
Ally + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ally as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ally: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ally?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,006 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ally going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,255 US residents.
Is Ally a common name?
We classify Ally as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10,158 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ally most popular?
The single biggest year for Ally was 1998, when 636 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ally is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ally a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Ally in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.