Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Sally

 Sally developed as an English diminutive of Sarah and therefore means “little princess.” One of the oldest female personal names on record in Western Civilization and the 8th female name to appear in the Bible, Sarah comes from the Hebrew שָׂרָה meaning “princess, noblewoman, lady.” Borne from the Bible in the Old Testament’s Book of Genesis, Sarah was the wife of Abraham, the mother of Isaac and an extremely important matriarchal figure in the Judeo-Christian narrative. In the Bible, her name is first represented as Sarai (“my princess”) before God changed it to Sarah in order to distinguish her as a woman of particular high rank (i.e., the mother of nations, or the one and only princess) after He established His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:15). Historically uncommon among English speakers until after the Protestant Reformation, Sarah was one of the earliest female names to be brought to the New World (American colonies). Both Sadie and Sally (Sallie) evolved from Sarah as pet forms and diminutives (compare Hal from Harry and Moll from Mary – similarly the English used Sally from Sarah).  

All About the Baby Name – Sally

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME SALLY

Romance is the hallmark of the Six personality. They exude nurturing, loving, and caring energy. Sixes are in love with the idea of love in its idealized form - and with their magnetic personalities, they easily draw people toward them. Like the number Two personality, they seek balance and harmony in their life and the world at large. They are conscientious and service-oriented, and a champion for the underdog. These personalities naturally attract money and are usually surrounded by lovely material objects - but their human relationships are always primary. They thrive in giving back to others rather than being motivated by their own desires. This is when they achieve great things. Sixes are natural teachers, ministers and counselors.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME SALLY

 As an independently given name, Sally has been in circulation since at least the 19th century (our data only goes back as far as 1880). Given her popularity at the turn of the 20th century, we can assume she was in full swing before well before then. Though Sally did show strong performance at the beginning of last century, she would not achieve Top 100 status until 1930 – a position she would hold for 25 consecutive years. Indeed, Sally enjoyed her greatest popular in the mid-1900s, reaching her highest rank (#52) in 1939. The name would quietly descend the charts as last century progressed and eventually this little charmer would find herself completely out of style. In fact, Sally dropped from America’s Top 1000 list in 2005 and has yet to reappear. Only about 200 baby girls were given the name Sally in 2013 and a mere 18 received the Sallie spelling. It seems that Sadie has replaced Sally’s popularity in this new century. 
 

Quick Facts

ON SALLY

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

SAL-ee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Little princess

Characteristics

OF SALLY

Humanitarian

Community-minded

Family-oriented

Loving

Affectionate

Compassionate

Sensitive

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Sally

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME SALLY

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME SALLY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Sally


Popular Songs

ON SALLY

Sally Mary
a song by Dan McCafferty

Sally MacLannane
a song by The Pogues

Sally Ann
a song by Flatt and Scruggs

Sally
a song by Sade

Sally G
a song by Paul McCartney

Sally Free and Easy
a song by Marianne Faithfull

Sally Comes Around
a song by Bonnie Tyler

Sally Can't Dance
a song by Lou Reed

Who’s in the Strawberry Patch with Sally
a song by Tony Orlando & Dawn

Sally Cinnamon
a song by The Stone Roses

Sneakin' Sally through The Alley
a song by Robert Palmer

Sally Was a Legend
a song by Robyn Hitchcock

Sally Was a Good Old Girl
a song by Waylon Jennings

Sally Sue Brown
a song by Bob Dylan

Sally Simpson
a song by The Who

Ride Sally Ride
a song by Lou Reed

My Pet Sally
a song by Blink 182

Mustang Sally
a song by Wilson Pickett

Morning Song to Sally
a song by Jerry Jeff Walker

Long Tall Sally
a song by The Beatles

Let Sally Drive
a song by Sammy Hagar

Lay Down Sally
a song by Eric Clapton

Be My Girl - Sally
a song by The Police

Ballad of Sally Rose
a song by Emmylou Harris

Back Alley Sally
a song by 38 Special

Famous People

NAMED SALLY

Sally Ride (astronaut, 1st woman in space)
Sally Field (actress)
Sally Struthers (actress)
Sally Hawkins (English actress)
Sarah "Sally" Hemings (slave woman said to have sired several of Thomas Jefferson's children)
Sally Mann (photographer)
Sally Kirkland (actress)
Sally Jessy Raphael (talk show host)
Sally Kellerman (actress)

Children of Famous People

NAMED SALLY

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Sally

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME SALLY

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Sally