Polly
Meaning of Polly
Polly, pronounced PAH-lee, first twirled into the world as a rhyming pet-name for Mary—Molly became Polly the way jalebi batter becomes a golden spiral, sweet and unexpectedly delightful. Over the centuries she’s picked up a suitcase of sunny associations: the sing-song nursery rhyme “Polly, put the kettle on,” the ever-chatty parrot perched on many an Indian veranda, the pocket-sized doll who ruled 90s toyboxes, even the unfailingly optimistic heroine of “Pollyanna.” In family lore she’s the cousin who arrives early, jingling bangles and carrying mango barfi, filling the room with stories before anyone’s poured chai. Though her peak fame fluttered through American cradles in the mid-20th century, Polly still slips onto today’s birth charts (ranked a jaunty #864 in 2024), proving that a classic nickname with a bright, bird-like trill never really flies away. For parents chasing a name that feels both vintage and vivacious—part English cottage, part Indian monsoon rainbow—Polly offers a pocketful of sunshine.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as PAH-lee (/ˈpɑ.li/)
British English
- Pronunced as PAH-lee (/ˈpɒ.li/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Polly
| Polly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer who has been a Guardian columnist since 1998. |
| Polly Umrigar - Pahlan Ratanji Umrigar was an Indian cricket captain who scored India's first Test double century. |
| Polly Matzinger is a French-born immunologist known for proposing the danger model of how the immune system works. |
| Polly Draper is an award-winning American actress and filmmaker best known for her role in Thirtysomething. |
| Polly Bergen was an Emmy Award winning American actress and singer known for Cape Fear and Desperate Housewives. |
| Polly Swann is a British rower, world and European champion, and Olympic silver medalist. |
| Polly Moran was an American actress and comedian who began in vaudeville before appearing in Mack Sennett comedies. |
| Polly Samson is an English novelist, journalist and lyricist known for writing songs with her husband David Gilmour and his band Pink Floyd. |
| Polly Stenham is an English playwright who wrote her acclaimed play That Face at just 19. |
| Polly Trottenberg is dean of NYU's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation. |
| Polly Alexandra Walker is an English actress who made her TV debut opposite Clive Owen in the 1990 film Lorna Doone. |
| Polly Evans is a Welsh journalist, broadcaster and producer best known as a former anchor of BBC South East Today. |
| Polly Ann Young was an American actress. |
| Polly Povey Thompson was a pioneering American architect and one of the first women to join the American Institute of Architects. |
| Polly Barber was a teacher and businesswoman remembered as the most prosperous farmer in Sutton. |
