Molly began in medieval England as a pet form of Mary, which goes back to the Hebrew Miryam, a name of uncertain meaning usually explained as "beloved" or "wished-for child". Revolutionary folk heroine Molly Pitcher and the unsinkable Molly Brown of Titanic fame gave it a sturdy American character. Molly was a top 100 name in the United States in 2000 and peaked at number 78 in 2011; it ranks number 196 in 2025.