Sally

femaleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Sally: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Sally: Recorded every year since 1952, it reached #36 in 1977, and it stood at #239 in 2025.

6registrars recorded it
170times a registrar ranked it
74years from first to last
#36highest recorded position
36groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Sally's record

Ranked every year since 1952, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 39 years running. Names by top-100 run
Moved 182 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#144
1997	#172
1998	#226
1999	#244
2000	#300
2001	#364
2002	#325
2003	#378
2004	#424
2005	#438
2006	#475
2007	#506
2008	#545
2009	#556
2010	#730
2011	#714
2012	#801
2013	#982
2014	#963
2015	#1007
2016	#1211
2017	#1296
2018	#1887
2019	#1153
2020	#1687
2021	#1311
2022	#1180
2023	#2346
2024	#1743

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in every year from 1964 to 2025.

In 2024: #337 among girls in Northern Ireland, #342 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #1743 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1952–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #93 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1993
Highest recorded position: #36 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1977 (recorded 1952–1993).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #239 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls

Sally appears in 5 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, with 62 ranked years and 1,085 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Girls, from 1952.

Sally across 5 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Sally's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#206 (1964)	#153 (1997)	#239 (2025)	62 of 62	1,085 (1964–2025)	33 (2008)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#93 (1952)	#36 (1977)	#99 (1993)	40 of 42	5,479 (1952–1993)	224 (1975)
England and Wales · Girls	#144 (1996)	#144 (1996)	#1743 (2024)	29 of 29	2,263 (1996–2024)	309 (1996)
New Zealand · Girls	#60 (1954)	#50 (1959)	#99 (1979)	26 of 26	2,445 (1954–1979)	142 (1959)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#291 (1999)	#230 (2001)	#337 (2024)	12 of 26	48 (1999–2024)	7 (2013)

Sally by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Sally in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	102	6 of 10	17
1970s	186	10 of 10	19
1980s	155	10 of 10	16
1990sbusiest	213	10 of 10	21
2000s	187	10 of 10	19
2010s	162	10 of 10	16
2020s	80	6 of 10	13

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 1990s were its busiest decade, averaging 21 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Sally appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #36 in New South Wales, Australia in 1977.

Sally's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	female	#1743	17	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	female	#2346	11	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	female	#1180	28	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	female	#1311	24	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	female	#1687	17	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	female	#1153	29	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	female	#1887	15	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	female	#1296	26	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	female	#1211	28	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	female	#1007	35	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	female	#963	38	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	female	#982	37	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	female	#801	48	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	female	#714	54	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	female	#730	50	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	female	#556	69	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	female	#545	70	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	female	#506	75	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	female	#475	81	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	female	#438	84	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	female	#424	85	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	female	#378	97	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	female	#325	111	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	female	#364	90	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	female	#300	123	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	female	#244	164	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	female	#226	185	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	female	#172	263	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	female	#144	309	High	Verified
1993	New South Wales, Australia	female	#99	84	Insufficient	Not yet available
1990	New South Wales, Australia	female	#76	111	Insufficient	Not yet available
1989	New South Wales, Australia	female	#88	98	Insufficient	Not yet available
1988	New South Wales, Australia	female	#67	125	Insufficient	Not yet available
1987	New South Wales, Australia	female	#56	142	Insufficient	Not yet available
1986	New South Wales, Australia	female	#61	131	Insufficient	Not yet available
1985	New South Wales, Australia	female	#50	158	Insufficient	Not yet available
1984	New South Wales, Australia	female	#49	156	Insufficient	Not yet available
1983	New South Wales, Australia	female	#55	147	Insufficient	Not yet available
1982	New South Wales, Australia	female	#53	154	Insufficient	Not yet available
1981	New South Wales, Australia	female	#46	175	Insufficient	Not yet available
1980	New South Wales, Australia	female	#39	190	Insufficient	Not yet available
1979	New South Wales, Australia	female	#46	168	Insufficient	Not yet available
1978	New South Wales, Australia	female	#43	175	Insufficient	Not yet available
1977	New South Wales, Australia	female	#36	215	Insufficient	Not yet available
1976	New South Wales, Australia	female	#37	211	Insufficient	Not yet available
1975	New South Wales, Australia	female	#38	224	Insufficient	Not yet available
1974	New South Wales, Australia	female	#51	189	Insufficient	Not yet available
1973	New South Wales, Australia	female	#59	153	Insufficient	Not yet available
1972	New South Wales, Australia	female	#73	129	Insufficient	Not yet available
1971	New South Wales, Australia	female	#81	124	Insufficient	Not yet available
1970	New South Wales, Australia	female	#71	129	Insufficient	Not yet available
1969	New South Wales, Australia	female	#71	131	Insufficient	Not yet available
1968	New South Wales, Australia	female	#76	120	Insufficient	Not yet available
1967	New South Wales, Australia	female	#73	114	Insufficient	Not yet available
1966	New South Wales, Australia	female	#68	124	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	female	#68	126	Insufficient	Not yet available
1964	New South Wales, Australia	female	#65	119	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	female	#69	131	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	female	#74	117	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	female	#66	152	Insufficient	Not yet available
1960	New South Wales, Australia	female	#69	130	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	female	#69	128	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	female	#65	138	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	female	#77	105	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	female	#75	119	Insufficient	Not yet available
1955	New South Wales, Australia	female	#89	82	Insufficient	Not yet available
1954	New South Wales, Australia	female	#81	96	Insufficient	Not yet available
1953	New South Wales, Australia	female	#86	85	Insufficient	Not yet available
1952	New South Wales, Australia	female	#93	74	Insufficient	Not yet available
1979	New Zealand	female	#99	53	High	Verified
1978	New Zealand	female	#98	49	High	Verified
1977	New Zealand	female	#84	62	High	Verified
1976	New Zealand	female	#76	70	High	Verified
1975	New Zealand	female	#74	76	High	Verified
1974	New Zealand	female	#67	92	High	Verified
1973	New Zealand	female	#88	70	High	Verified
1972	New Zealand	female	#86	73	High	Verified
1971	New Zealand	female	#78	85	High	Verified
1970	New Zealand	female	#87	78	High	Verified
1969	New Zealand	female	#76	86	High	Verified
1968	New Zealand	female	#74	97	High	Verified
1967	New Zealand	female	#80	83	High	Verified
1966	New Zealand	female	#62	108	High	Verified
1965	New Zealand	female	#57	117	High	Verified
1964	New Zealand	female	#64	118	High	Verified
1963	New Zealand	female	#63	122	High	Verified
1962	New Zealand	female	#60	129	High	Verified
1961	New Zealand	female	#74	111	High	Verified
1960	New Zealand	female	#68	108	High	Verified
1959	New Zealand	female	#50	142	High	Verified
1958	New Zealand	female	#53	128	High	Verified
1957	New Zealand	female	#65	105	High	Verified
1956	New Zealand	female	#67	90	High	Verified
1955	New Zealand	female	#66	96	High	Verified
1954	New Zealand	female	#60	97	High	Verified
2024	Northern Ireland	female	#337	4	High	Verified
2021	Northern Ireland	female	#446	3	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	female	#434	3	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	female	#312	5	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	female	#255	7	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	female	#363	4	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	female	#419	3	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	female	#413	3	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	female	#377	3	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	female	#331	3	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	female	#230	6	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	female	#291	4	High	Verified
2023	Norway	female	#479	5	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	female	#239	18	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	female	#342	11	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	female	#262	15	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	female	#284	15	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	female	#390	10	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	female	#355	11	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	female	#247	19	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	female	#336	13	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	female	#301	15	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	female	#359	12	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	female	#210	25	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	female	#353	13	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	female	#273	18	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	female	#280	18	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	female	#340	14	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	female	#333	15	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	female	#358	13	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	female	#176	33	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	female	#259	18	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	female	#238	18	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	female	#300	12	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	female	#235	16	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	female	#200	19	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	female	#197	19	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	female	#173	23	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	female	#213	16	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	female	#153	24	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	female	#179	19	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	female	#153	32	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	female	#227	17	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	female	#187	23	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	female	#158	28	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	female	#266	13	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	female	#185	24	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	female	#237	16	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	female	#221	17	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	female	#228	16	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	female	#329	9	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	female	#348	8	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	female	#250	15	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	female	#225	20	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	female	#320	9	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	female	#232	19	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	female	#248	18	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	female	#251	17	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	female	#216	24	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	female	#253	17	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	female	#244	17	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	female	#262	14	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	female	#199	27	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	female	#190	27	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	female	#228	19	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	female	#225	20	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	female	#208	22	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	female	#303	8	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	female	#223	15	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	female	#197	22	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	female	#197	19	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	female	#192	17	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	female	#236	9	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	female	#167	22	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	female	#206	13	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Norway hub — collected by Statistics Norway (SSB)
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 6 registrars between 1952 and 2025, ranked in 74 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #36, first reached in 1977.

It held a top-100 place in 40 years, 39 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 309 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1954, and 71 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Salima · #1392, 25y
Salina · #1234, 28y
Salma · #228, 47y
Salmaan · #1113, 28y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 6 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Russell · #37, 70y
Dennis · #34, 74y
Frances · #38, 73y
Bernard · #33, 74y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Alina · #37, 63y
Leslie · #37, 67y
Narelle · #37, 25y
Russell · #37, 70y

Sally was ranked #36 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls in 1977. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Sally and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Sally without appearing here.

Sally moved ahead of

Stacey Compare
In 2023 they stood at #2346 and #2346 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #1743 and #3015.
Kim Compare
In 2007 they stood at #259 and #251 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2008 that had become #176 and #665.
Amanda Compare
In 2021 they stood at #390 and #322 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2022 that had become #284 and #747.
Josephine Compare
In 2011 they stood at #340 and #325 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2012 that had become #280 and #677.

Moved ahead of Sally

Fiona Compare
In 2022 they stood at #1180 and #1621 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2023 that had become #2346 and #1108.
Clodagh Compare
In 2022 they stood at #1180 and #1282 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2023 that had become #2346 and #1135.
Ezra Compare
In 2022 they stood at #1180 and #1215 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2023 that had become #2346 and #1135.
Linda Compare
In 2022 they stood at #1180 and #1621 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2023 that had become #2346 and #1206.

Moved the opposite way to Sally

Megan Compare
Between 1958 and 1993 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Sally went from #65 to #99 while Megan went from #98 to #34.
Maria Compare
Between 1952 and 1985 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Sally went from #93 to #50 while Maria went from #46 to #95.
Susan Compare
Between 1952 and 1985 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Sally went from #93 to #50 while Susan went from #2 to #96.
Patricia Compare
Between 1952 and 1984 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Sally went from #93 to #49 while Patricia went from #8 to #98.

Moved the same way as Sally

Camilla Compare
Between 1966 and 2024 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Sally went from #236 to #342 and Camilla from #236 to #556.
Abigail Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Sally went from #144 to #1743 and Abigail from #21 to #154.
Aimee Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Sally went from #144 to #1743 and Aimee from #70 to #1603.
Aisling Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Sally went from #144 to #1743 and Aisling from #440 to #2000.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #36 in New South Wales, Australia in 1977. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Sally

Sally at a glance

What stands out in Sally's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Sally across 5 official records

Sally by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Sally appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Sally

Sally and the names beside it

Sally moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Sally

Moved the opposite way to Sally

Moved the same way as Sally

Sally at a glance

What stands out in Sally's record

Sally across 5 official records

Sally by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Sally appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Sally

Sally and the names beside it

Sally moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Sally

Moved the opposite way to Sally

Moved the same way as Sally