Mollie

Mollie (like Molly) developed as a pet form of the English names Mary or Margaret; although today both Mollie and Molly are independently given names in their own right. Mary is the anglicized version of the French Marie (from the Latin Maria), both of which are derived from the New Testament name Miriam (Hebrew: Miryam). We know that the ultimate origin of Molly comes from Miriam (by way of Maria and Mary), but finding the etymological source of Miriam isn’t so easy. There are varying opinions. The most common belief is that Miriam is derived from the Egyptian “myr” meaning “beloved” (Miriam, Moses sister from the Hebrew Bible, was born in Egypt, so this makes sense). As a derivative and diminutive of Margaret (which means “pearl”), then Mollie would come to mean “little pearl”. However Mollie is more generally believed to have started as a pet form for Mary rather than Margaret. Molly is the preferred spelling all throughout the English speaking world (and is exceptionally popular everywhere). Mollie is a Top 100 favorite in Northern Ireland and Scotland (and does moderately well in England and Australia), but everyone seems to be favoring Molly with a “y” rather than an “ie”. Mollie is definitely cutesier. American parents are sure to invent Mollee sooner or later (sigh).