Molly

How to say it

/ˈmɒl.i/

What it means

Originally an Irish diminutive of Mary (Hebrew Miriam), now a standalone given name. Molly Bloom's soliloquy in Joyce's Ulysses ('yes I said yes I will Yes') is the literary anchor.

Molly started as an Irish (and English) diminutive of Mary, which traces to the Hebrew Miriam through Latin Maria. By the 19th century Molly was used as a standalone given name. James Joyce's Molly Bloom (Ulysses, 1922) is the deepest English-language literary anchor; her closing soliloquy ('yes I said yes I will Yes') is one of the most-quoted passages in modernist literature. Home Alone's Kevin's mom Kate had a brief reference 'Molly' too, but Joyce's Molly is the dominant. Molly Ringwald (the John Hughes-era actress) gives the name 80s-coded anchor. It's been in the US top 200 since the 1990s. Single short forms aren't common.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Molly Bloom (Joyce's Ulysses), Molly Ringwald (John Hughes films), and Molly Weasley (Harry Potter) cover three different generations of cultural anchor.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Molly Bloom James Joyce's Ulysses (1922), the closing 'yes I said yes I will Yes' soliloquy
• Molly Ringwald American actress, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club
• Molly Weasley Ron Weasley's mother in the Harry Potter series

Spelling variants

• Mollie

Names with the same feeling

• Mary Beloved, or 'bitter'
• Ruby Red gemstone
• Millie Strong worker, or short for Mildred / Millicent
• Annie Favor, grace
• Daisy Day's eye

See Molly from another angle