Girl name · Old English
Holly
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: holly treeHolly is a girl's name that comes from Old English and means "holly tree". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Holly tree
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #416 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Holly
As a girl's name, Holly comes from Old English and means "holly tree". It is used in English.
Holly is also a surname: the 4,119th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 8,365 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Holly on our nature names list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Holly on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Holly on 6 lists.
“Bright, evergreen and a classic holiday name”
From Christmas nicknames, cute Christmas nicknames
“Evergreen and festive, with bright red berries”
From Reindeer names, girl reindeer names
“Bright and festive, for a winter puppy”
From Girl dog names, flower and nature names for girl dogs
“Evergreen with red berries; Old English. Festive and bright”
From Girl middle names, flower and nature middle names
“English word name for the red-berried evergreen tree”
From Nature names, nature names for girls
“From Old English holegn, the prickly evergreen tree”
From Pretty last names, beautiful last names from nature
How popular is Holly?
- US rank in 2025
- #416
- 751 babies, 467 per million girls
- Best rank
- #48 in 1979
- Most babies: 6,388 in 1983
- Babies since 1893
- At least 205,304
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 14 per million |
| 1900s | 12 per million |
| 1910s | 16 per million |
| 1920s | 17 per million |
| 1930s | 39 per million |
| 1940s | 273 per million |
| 1950s | 969 per million |
| 1960s | 1,760 per million |
| 1970s | 3,266 per million |
| 1980s | 2,891 per million |
| 1990s | 1,504 per million |
| 2000s | 628 per million |
| 2010s | 388 per million |
| 2020s | 430 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #527 | #493 | #513 | #483 | #479 | #465 | #457 | #453 | #420 | #416 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Holly
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- HallaRock (Old Norse, girl)
- HollisHolly trees (English, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- LauraLaurel tree (Latin, girl)
- OliviaOlive tree (Latin, girl)
- OliverOlive tree (Latin, boy)
- DaphneLaurel tree (Greek, girl)
- HadassahMyrtle tree (Hebrew, girl)
- IlanTree (Hebrew, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- OliveTree of peace (Latin, girl)
- OlivierOlive tree (Latin, boy)
- YvonneYew tree (Germanic, girl)
Middle names for Holly
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AlexandraDefender of men (Greek, girl)
- AmberAmber, golden fossil resin (Arabic, girl)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- FelicityHappiness, good fortune (Latin, girl)
- GemmaGem, precious stone (Latin, girl)
- IsabelGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- MargaretA pearl (Greek, girl)
- PrimroseFirst rose (Latin, girl)
More girl names from Old English
- EdithRich in war (Old English, girl)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AudreyNoble strength (Old English, girl)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- ÆlfflædElf beauty (Old English, girl)
- ÆlfgifuElf gift (Old English, girl)
- ÆlfthrythElf strength (Old English, girl)
- ÆlfwynnElf joy (Old English, girl)
Holly: common questions
What does the name Holly mean?
Holly comes from Old English and means "holly tree".
Is Holly a boy or girl name?
Holly is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Holly come from?
Holly comes from Old English and means "holly tree". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Holly?
Holly ranked #416 in the US in 2025, with 751 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Holly?
Names spelled like Holly include Halla and Hollis.
What middle names go with Holly?
Middle names that flow well with Holly include Alexandra, Amber, Amelia, Felicity and Gemma. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.