Sally is a distinctive choice, ranked #1743 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Sally in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#1743
About the Name Sally
Sally is gradually declining in popularity, having dropped 56 places over five years. Its high point was #144 in 1996, and it now sits at #1743. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Sally is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Sally
Unlikely. With around 17 UK babies named Sally per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Sally in her class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Sally has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 56 places in the last five years. Its peak was #144 in 1996. Choosing it now means she is likely to be among the last of her generation with this name.
Sally is a distinctive choice sitting outside the mainstream UK top names. Parents choosing less common names often find their children appreciate the individuality as they grow up, rarely needing to add an initial to distinguish themselves.
Notable people named Sally include: Sally Yeh — Sally Yeh, sometimes credited as Sally Yip or Yip Sin-man, is a Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Canadian former singer and actress.; Sally Dynevor — Sally Jane Dynevor is an English actress, she is best known for her role as Sally Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, which she has played since...; Sally Struthers — Sally Anne Struthers is an American actress and activist..
Sally does not appear in the US top 1,000 baby names, making it a distinctively British choice — your child is unlikely to encounter American Sallys in the wild.
17
UK babies named Sally (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 56 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Sally
Likely around 1 other Sally in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
No US data available for this name
✨ Similar names to Sally
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Sally Kristen Ride was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova in 1963 and Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982.
Sally Jane Dynevor is an English actress, she is best known for her role as Sally Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, which she has played since 1986. In 2022, Dynevor competed in the fourteenth series of Dancing on Ice.
Sally Anne Struthers is an American actress and activist. She is known for her portrayal of Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker on the sitcom All in the Family.
Sally Hemings, whose given name may have been Sarah, was an enslaved woman, inherited among many others by the third President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Her mother was Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings.
Sally Soames was a British newspaper photographer. She worked for The Observer for a period from 1963, and after a spell as a freelance, for The Sunday Times.