Find out how popular the first name Sally has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Sally by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Sally is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 100% of people named Sally being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 170 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Sally.

The history of the first name Sally

The given name Sally is derived from the Hebrew name Sarah, which means "princess" or "noblewoman." The name Sarah is first mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, referring to the wife of the patriarch Abraham.

The name Sarah was later transliterated into Greek as Sara, and into Latin as Sarai or Sara. Over time, the name evolved through various vernacular forms in different languages, such as the French Sallie, the German Salle, and the English Sally.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sally dates back to the 13th century in England. It was a common pet form or diminutive of Sarah, used as a nickname or shortened version of the name.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Sally. One of the earliest was Sally Prideaux (1610-1692), an English Puritan writer and religious thinker. Another prominent figure was Sally Fairfax (1647-1719), an American colonist and the wife of William Fairfax, a prominent landowner in Virginia.

In the 18th century, Sally Lunn (c. 1676-1776) was a famous English baker known for creating the famous Sally Lunn bun, a type of bread roll. Another notable Sally from this period was Sally Wister (1737-1804), an American diarist and socialite whose journals provided valuable insights into colonial life in Philadelphia.

In the 19th century, Sally Ride (1951-2012) became the first American woman in space when she served as a crew member on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983. Another famous Sally was Sally Field (born 1946), an American actress known for her roles in films such as Norma Rae and Places in the Heart, for which she won Academy Awards.

Other notable Sallys throughout history include Sally Hemings (1773-1835), an enslaved woman who had a long-term relationship with Thomas Jefferson; Sally Ride (1951-2012), the first American woman in space; and Sally Rooney (born 1991), an Irish novelist and author of the acclaimed novels Conversations with Friends and Normal People.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Sally was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sally, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!