girls' name ★ peaked 1983

Holly

Meaning A female given name from English Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #416 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

A female given name from English.

Rank 2025
#416
among girls · ↑4 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
751
named Holly · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,140
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1983
6,415 babies
All-time total
206,845
#197 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Holly popularity over time

206,845 babies have been named Holly since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 19 19 2 – –
1890s 30 20 50 5 +163% #1,126
1900s 35 26 61 6 +22% #1,260
1910s 133 153 286 29 +369% #1,711
1920s 199 214 413 41 +44% #1,696
1930s 415 151 566 57 +37% #832
1940s 3,961 162 4,123 412 +628% #294
1950s 18,633 178 18,811 1,881 +356% #144
1960s 32,144 153 32,297 3,230 +72% #87
1970s 50,464 192 50,656 5,066 +57% #48
1980s 49,653 222 49,875 4,988 -2% #48
1990s 27,072 43 27,115 2,712 -46% #89
2000s 11,597 8 11,605 1,161 -57% #189
2010s 6,785 – 6,785 679 -42% #409
2020s (to 2025) 4,183 – 4,183 697 +3% #416

Where Holly is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 774 0.48 #403
2027 794 0.49 #392
2028 811 0.50 #378
2029 827 0.51 #371
2030 840 0.52 #364

Where Holly is most popular

Girls named Holly per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.437 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Idaho, and Kansas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Holly born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 19 1.40 +221%
Idaho 43 1.29 +194%
Kansas 57 0.988 +126%
Colorado 97 0.869 +99%
Washington 120 0.831 +90%
Connecticut 48 0.825 +89%
Minnesota 86 0.797 +82%
Utah 64 0.769 +76%
Oregon 50 0.768 +76%
Nebraska 25 0.695 +59%
Wisconsin 69 0.670 +53%
Kentucky 57 0.666 +53%
Missouri 78 0.647 +48%
Virginia 110 0.645 +48%
Massachusetts 78 0.645 +48%
South Carolina 56 0.623 +43%
Arkansas 32 0.605 +39%
Arizona 84 0.599 +37%
New Hampshire 11 0.596 +36%
Alaska 5 0.581 +33%
Indiana 80 0.570 +30%
Illinois 128 0.559 +28%
Pennsylvania 130 0.550 +26%
Georgia 122 0.537 +23%
Tennessee 85 0.537 +23%
New Mexico 13 0.535 +22%
Oklahoma 39 0.530 +21%
North Carolina 114 0.501 +15%
New Jersey 90 0.499 +14%
Michigan 89 0.489 +12%
Maryland 50 0.472 +8%
North Dakota 6 0.456 ≈ national
California 383 0.456 ≈ national
Ohio 102 0.430 ≈ national
District of Columbia 5 0.422 ≈ national
South Dakota 6 0.420 ≈ national
Alabama 39 0.415 -5%
Iowa 24 0.411 -6%
Florida 172 0.402 -8%
Texas 308 0.383 -12%
Louisiana 33 0.377 -14%
Mississippi 17 0.363 -17%
New York 138 0.348 -20%
Maine 5 0.323 -26%
Nevada 13 0.280 -36%
West Virginia 5 0.191 -56%
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Holly

Holly is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #416 in 2025 with 751 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 206,845 American babies have been named Holly. Its peak came in 1983, when 6,415 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Holly stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Holly?

The median living Holly is about 45 years old; half are between 35 and 55. An estimated 194 thousand people named Holly are alive in the United States today.

median 45 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Holly year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 751 #416 – –
2024 745 #420 – –
2023 682 #453 – –
2022 693 #457 – –
2021 673 #465 – –
2020 639 #479 – –
2019 651 #483 – –
2018 608 #513 – –
2017 634 #493 – –
2016 589 #527 – –
2015 653 #491 – –
2014 714 #448 – –
2013 683 #451 – –
2012 740 #425 – –
2011 738 #420 – –
2010 775 #409 – –
2009 858 #381 – –
2008 907 #364 – –
2007 976 #339 – –
2006 955 #346 – –
2005 1,040 #310 – –
2004 1,119 #293 8 #8,417
2003 1,227 #261 – –
2002 1,363 #231 – –
2001 1,462 #219 – –
2000 1,690 #189 – –
1995 2,544 #126 – –
1990 3,772 #89 5 #8,631
1985 5,602 #56 25 #2,191
1980 5,282 #52 24 #2,182
1975 5,047 #55 10 #3,523
1970 4,940 #74 13 #2,673
1965 3,359 #113 15 #2,124
1960 2,580 #161 16 #2,070
1955 2,504 #144 15 #2,083
1950 834 #266 18 #1,775
1945 382 #353 13 #1,971
1940 74 #829 15 #1,843
1935 44 #1,044 10 #2,451
1930 25 #1,586 22 #1,582
1925 18 #2,145 24 #1,553
1920 18 #2,113 24 #1,566
1915 18 #1,836 16 #1,828
1910 7 #2,019 – –
1905 – – 5 #1,319
1900 – – 8 #999
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – 6 #877
1880 – – 5 #977

Famous people named Holly

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Holly Hunter Holly Hunter American actress (born 1958) Contemporary
  2. 2 Holly Marie Combs Holly Marie Combs American actress b. 1973 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Holly Valance Holly Valance Australian and British actress, singer, model, and political activist (born 1983) Contemporary
  4. 4 Holly Madison Holly Madison American television personality (born 1979) Contemporary
  5. 5 Holly Holm Holly Holm American boxer, kickboxer, and mixed martial arts fighter (born 1981) Contemporary
  6. 6 Holly Robinson Peete Holly Robinson Peete American actress (born 1964) Contemporary
  7. 7 Holly Johnson Holly Johnson British singer (born 1960) Contemporary
  8. 8 Holly Woodlawn Holly Woodlawn American actress (1946–2015) Contemporary
  9. 9 Holly Black Holly Black American author (born 1971) Contemporary
  10. 10 Holly Bradshaw Holly Bradshaw British pole vaulter (born 1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Holly, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Holly?

The median living Holly is about 45 years old. Half of all living Hollys are between 35 and 55 years old.

How many people named Holly are alive today?

An estimated 194 thousand people named Holly are alive in the United States, based on 206,845 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Holly mean?

A female given name from English.

How popular is the name Holly in 2025?

Holly ranked #416 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 751 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Holly?

206,845 babies have been named Holly in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Holly most popular?

Holly peaked in 1983, when 6,415 newborns received the name.

Is Holly a boy or girl name?

Holly is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Holly rising or falling?

Holly is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Holly become more popular?

Holly is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 840 girls named Holly in 2030, which would rank around #364. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Holly?

Well-known people named Holly include Holly Hunter (actor), Holly Marie Combs (actor), Holly Valance (actor).

Names like Holly

Names that sound and feel close to Holly: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Holly with similar names → More names starting with H →