Sally

I hope you will pardon the light posting around here. Our baby gate broke, and we don’t want to replace it when our youngest child is already 2.5 years old and nearly human, so I am spending my days following him around, huge dark circles under my eyes, saying, “No, no, Henry, get off the counter. No, honey, don’t splash in the cat water. OMG PUT THAT DOWN!!!” My morning writing time, which I used to accomplish by putting on the television, is GONE.

I suppose if you were desperate, you could look at my grocery list. Or give input on newborn sleep issues.

Yeah, I know, none of that is about baby names. How about this: we can discuss a name that has recently come very strongly into my favor. It’s Sally. I know! But run it around in your mind a little bit. Imagine asking someone what their baby’s name is, and they say “Sally.” A little girl running around being cute. Sally! I think it’s super-sweet, and also should be revived as a nickname for the otherwise nicknameless Sarah/Sara.

23 thoughts on “Sally

  1. Frazzled Mom

    I knew someone named Sally. I think her given name was Sarah. Because it was so often used in children’s books (like the Cat in the Hat) the name seemed like the generic girl’s name, until I realized not that many girls are actually named Sally in real life. I think it deserves a comeback.

    Sally also reminds me of my recent interest in Betsy. I used to think this name was so terribly dated, but now it seems to have a retro charm. I only like it as a nickname though, most obviously for Elizabeth. But I’m sure Betsy can be used as a nickname for other names.

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  2. Nowheymama

    When I was little, there was an old man at our church who called me Sally, and I always thought he didn’t know my name was Sarah. My parents had to explain it was a nickname. I like it as a nickname but not as a name. Same with Betsy! Good idea!

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  3. Scarlett

    As a nickname, I think Sally’s cute. It works for little girls, but I have an aunt whose given name is Sally, and she *really* doesn’t care for it (my grandparents were kinda lame in naming their daughters–Sally, Merry, Peggy, and Pam). I don’t think it would work for a person older than about 8.

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  4. clueless but hopeful mama

    When I was pregnant with Eliza, Zoe (age 3) kept saying “The baby in Mommy’s tummy is named Sally!” or she would stuff her shirt and pronounce her baby’s name was Sally.

    We actually thought seriously about naming Eliza Sally, if only out of guilt about how Zoe’s life was about to change.

    I like it, I think it’s adorable for a little girl. I wonder about how it would fare in adulthood with this generation of Grace/Isabella/Sophies?

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  5. StephLove

    I, also like it as a nn but not as a full name. But Sarah’s not otherwise nicknameless. Sadie is a nn for Sarah.

    BTW, my sister is named Sara and as a kid she HATED anyone to call her Sally, so I did every now and then but not too often because I hated to be called Steffy so she had pretty easy and obvious access to revenge.

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  6. tracynicole22

    I never knew Sally could be a nn for Sarah. I think Sally is very cute for a little girl. I know an adult Sally who strictly goes by Sal as an adult. I thought it was weird when I first met her, but she is so cool and stylish and fun, it has really made me like the name. It’s funny how that can happen!

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  7. Jen

    I wouldn’t give Sally much of a shot for another 10 – 20 years…to me it is dated to someone who is about 50 to 60. Then again I could just be biased by the Sallys I do know. I love the name Sadie as a nn for Sarah. That I could really get behind. Oh and @-R- Solange is a favorite of mine right now. It’s beautiful and I would love to have a reason to use it.

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  8. Clarabella

    Get thee another baby gate, woman! $10 for one of those little wooden ones. My son is the same age as Henry & I plan on leaving ours up until it disintegrates. The constant “No, please don’t do that” sessions (outside the gated area or at other people’s houses) make me insane.
    That said, I know both a Sarah/Sally & a few given name Sallys. I’ve never given it much though, honestly. Having read it & typed it now though, I can declare that I do like it, although I don’t think I’d use it myself.

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  9. Steph the WonderWorrier

    When I was very little my invisible friend’s name was “Sally”. When my mom was pregnant with my first younger brother, I was convinced that if he was a girl he had to be named “Sally”. My mom disliked it a lot, so my Uncle and Aunt stepped in and I named their Golden Lab puppy Sally. Sally was a really good dog.

    I personally despise the name Sally. Much like I really don’t care for Wendy. I feel like they sort of go together, something 80s-early 90s-ish about them that I don’t like (even if they were never popular then, I’m not basing this on fact, I’m basing this on my 80s-early 90s Best Invisible Friend, Sally). That’s what that name conjures up for me, and I just can’t see it on a kid today.

    I also don’t like it as a nickname to Sarah, because I think Sarah is an absolutely beautiful name and I’d hate to think of Sarah’s not going by “Sarah”. hahaha.

    So yeah, it’s just not for me. It’s a name that makes me cringe, actually.

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  10. KL

    I think Sally is a cute name but something about it just doesn’t sound… professional? I personally wouldn’t use it.

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  11. Kate

    It’s my Mum’s name, and I never liked it until recently. Now I adore it, but I’m not that into naming my future kids after my parents….

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  12. Pocket

    Wow, this is a great discussion! The only person I’ve ever met named Sally is my stepmom and I’ve always thought her to be so beautiful, so naturally I’ve always loved her name. She’s a true Sally, not a Sarah/Sally and the name just seems to fit. I do know she hates being called “Sal,” because it conjures up images of an old man, probably a mobster! I think naming a little girl Sally is totally cute and I’d love to see this name make a comeback!

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  13. Hope

    I’m going to comment because no one has said this yet. My husband uses “Sally” as a derogatory name to describe a male who is acting girly or wimpy. ie: “That guys throws like a girl, what a Sally!” I don’t know if this is just him, or a regional thing, but it’s my instant connection.

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  14. Erin

    Don’t really like Sally too much, but I like it better than Betsy, which is just awful as a nickname, imho. I had a coworker names Betsy and while I liked her quite a bit, I cringed a little every time I had to say her name. It didn’t help that she was really really nerdy. Especially when there are so many great nns with Elizabeth. Anyway, back to Sally, it feels dated to me also (about as much as Suzy – but then I am friends with a Suzy my age, so what do I know), but I like it. I just wouldn’t consider using it personally as its too nickname-y sounding for my more traditional taste, and I think its too soon for a comeback. And I agree, I like Sarah much more than Sally, so I’m not sure what name I would like it as a nickname for. But its an interesting one.

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  15. TweePopACap

    This is so funny, because I was honestly JUST thinking the OTHER DAY about how I’m surprised that Sally hasn’t started its comeback – and I thought of you, Swistle! I was thinking about how you like Betsy, and how I bet that you’d like Sally, too! What a coincidence!

    While Sally isn’t to my taste at all, I can totally see it fitting in with little Abbys everywhere. And even though I don’t like it much, I have to admit that it is pretty cute on a little girl. :]

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  16. Sally

    My name is (just) Sally and I love it! I’m early/mid 20s so there are pretty much never any other Sallys my age, which is fine with me. Only select people are allowed to call me Sal or Sals, though. The name wears just fine; I’ve never found it too “cutesy” or anything like that. I do understand that some people find it a bit too dated for them, though.

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    1. Erin

      My mom’s name was Sally, and my daughter is naming her daughter Sally. She is due any day. I am so happy that you love your name. I love it too. I think it is a beautiful name that has the sound of happiness. Keep rocking Sally!

      Reply
  17. Anonymous

    Crazy! I would never in a million year expect Sally to make a comeback! (probably b/c I’m in the “dislike” camp on this one!) When I think of Sally, I think of the Peanuts character and Meg Ryan’s character – which both seem VERY 80s/dated to me (and have the poofy blond hair connection!) . . . and I do think of the “What a Sally!” wimpy-guy comment too! Hence, I just can’t imagine a modern mom naming her baby Sally. I could maybe see a “Salina” being called Sally as a little girl . . . but even then, I think it would just be a nn to shorten “Salina” to something when in a hurry or goofing around.

    Oh, and why oh why does Sarah/Sara need a nn????? It’s one syllable!!! and Sally is 2!! (I get that it’s traditional, but I have NEVER understood nn’s like that!) I feel like if you want to nickname someone named Sara/Sarah, you call her “S” :-) (But then again, among my friends, we pretty much all call each other by our first initial, so that wouldn’t be a stretch for me!)

    Reply

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