| Gender | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | HypocorismofSarah |
Sally is an English language feminine given name that originated as a hypocorism for Sarah.[1] Young children often have difficulty in pronouncing the letter r, which resulted in nicknames like Sally that substitute the letter r for l. Other examples include Dolly for Dorothy, Hallie for Harriet, Lolly for Laura, and MollyorPolly for Mary. Sally and spelling variant Sallie have also been in use as independent names since the 1700s. The name was popularized by cultural influences in the early 20th century, including the popular Broadway musical Sally, which debuted in 1920. Actress Marilyn Miller played Sally on stage and a 1929 film. An earlier film featured Colleen Moore in the role of Sally. The popularity of performer Sally Rand also increased usage of Sally in the Anglosphere in the 1920s and 1930s. In the United States, the name was among the top 100 names for American girls until 1956. It reached the peak of its popularity in 1939, when it was the 52nd most popular names for American girls. It then declined in use, but had a brief increase in use in the late 1970s due to the influence of the American actress Sally Field.[2] [3] It is also a nickname for Salome and Salimeh, which are especially popular in the Eurasian country Georgia.[4]
