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 Hitchco*ck
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