Sally is a distinctive choice, ranked #1079 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Sally in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1079
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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 uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Sally in their class.
⭐ Famous People Named Sally
Sally Ride — Sally Kristen Ride was an American astronaut and physicist.
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 1986.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Sally
Unlikely. With around 31 UK babies named Sally per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Sally in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Sally is rising: up 608 places since 2020, to #1,079 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #144 in 1996.
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 Dynevor and Sally Struthers. Short summaries for each appear below.
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.
31
UK babies named Sally (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 608 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
Almost certainly the only Sally in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
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 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.
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.