Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (a diminutive of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

). Polly may also be a short form of names such as

Polina Polina ( hu, Alsófalu) is a hamlet in the Revúca District, Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia. Other uses * Pojan, Fier, a town in Abania near Ancient Illyrian Apollonia also called Polina. * Polina (given name) Polina is a Greek (Πωλί� ...

Polona Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006. Colle ...

, Paula or

Paulina Paulina or Paullina (, ) was a name shared by three relatives of the Roman Emperor Hadrian: his mother, his elder sister and his niece. Mother of Hadrian Domitia Paulina or Paullina, Domitia Paulina Major or Paulina Major, (''Major'' Latin fo ...

People named or nicknamed Polly

Female

* Caresse Crosby (1891–1970), American patron of the arts, poet, publisher, peace activist and inventor of the first modern brassiere to receive a patent and gain wide acceptance, who was also known as Polly Jacob and Polly Peabody *

Mary Jefferson Eppes Mary Jefferson Eppes (August 1, 1778 – April 17, 1804), known as Polly in childhood and Maria as an adult, was the younger of Thomas Jefferson's two daughters with his wife who survived beyond the age of 3. She married a first cousin, John Wayle ...

(1778–1804), a daughter of Thomas Jefferson, known as Polly during her childhood * Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols (1845–1888), a victim of the Whitechapel murders attributed to Jack the Ripper *

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

(born 1969), English singer/songwriter *

Polly Adams Pauline "Polly" Adams (born 27 August 1939) is an English actress best known for her work on the stage both in England and in the United States, and for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown on the television series ''Just William''. She made her Broadwa ...

(born 1939), English actress *

Polly Adler Pearl "Polly" Adler (April 16, 1900 – June 9, 1962) was an American madam and author, best known for her work ''A House Is Not a Home'', which was posthumously adapted into a film of the same name. In 2021, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian D ...

(1900–1962), Russian-born American madam and author *

Polly Apfelbaum Polly E. Apfelbaum (born Abington, Pennsylvania 1955) is an American contemporary visual artist, who is primarily known for her colorful drawings, sculptures, and fabric floor pieces, which she refers to as "fallen paintings".Polly Arnold Polly Louise Arnold One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: (born 24 July 1972) is director of the chemical sciences division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and professor of ...

(born 1972), British academic *

Polly Baca Polly Baca (born February 13, 1941) is an American politician who served as Chair of the Democratic Caucus of the Colorado House of Representatives (1976–79), being the first woman to hold that office and the first Hispanic woman elected to the ...

(born 1941), American politician *

Polly Bemis Polly Bemis (September 11, 1853 – November 6, 1933) was a Chinese American pioneer who lived in Idaho in the late 19th and early 20th century. Her story became a biographical novel, and was the subject of the 1991 film '' Thousand Pieces of Go ...

(1853–1933), Chinese-American pioneer *

Polly Bennett Polly Mooney Bennett (1922–2003) was an American artist. She is associated with the Gee's Bend quilting collective and was a member of the Freedom Quilting Bee The Freedom Quilting Bee was a quilting cooperative based in Rehobeth, Alabama, that ...

(1922–2003), American artist *

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in '' The Helen ...

(1930–2014), American actress and singer *

Polly Berry Polly Berry (c.1803–1805 – after 1865) was an African American woman notable for winning two freedom suits in St. Louis, one for herself, which she won in 1843, and one for her daughter Lucy, which she won in 1844. Having acquired the surnam ...

(c. 1818–c. 1870–1880), African-American slave who successfully sued for her freedom and that of her daughter *

Polly Borland Polly Borland (born 1959) is an Australian photographer who formerly resided in England from 1989 to 2011, and now lives in Los Angeles, United States. She is known both for her editorial portraits and for her work as a photographic artist. Bi ...

(born 1959), Australian photographer *

Polly Bradfield Polly Bradfield is an American violinist from the New York City free improvisation scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her closest musical associates were Eugene Chadbourne and John Zorn. She also played on records by William Parker and F ...

, American violinist *

Polly Brown Polly Brown (born 18 April 1947), also known as Polly Browne, is an English singer from Birmingham. A member of Pickettywitch and Sweet Dreams - and with each group lead singer on a Top Ten hit, respectively "That Same Old Feeling" and "Honey H ...

(born 1947), English singer *

Polly Draper Polly Carey Draper (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. Draper has received several awards, including a Writers Guild of America Award (WGA), and is noted for speaking in a "trademark throaty voice." She g ...

(born 1955), American actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer and director *

Polly Dunbar Polly Dunbar (born 1977) is an English author-illustrator. She is best known for her self-illustrated books ''Penguin'', the ''Tilly and Friends'' series (which became a BBC children's television series) and ''Hello, Mum'' – an illustrated me ...

, British author and illustrator *

Polly Emery Polly Emery (10 May 1875 – 31 October 1958) was an English actress of both silent and talking pictures.Profile
, ftvd ...

(1875–1958), British actress *

Polly Granzow Polly Granzow (born September 29, 1941) is a former Iowa State Representative from the 44th District. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009. She received her BA from the University of Iowa and her MA from the Universit ...

(born 1941), Iowa State Representative from the 44th District *

Polly Hill (economist) Polly Hill (14 June 1914 – 21 August 2005) was a British social anthropologist of West Africa, and an Emeritus Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge.'' Who Was Who'' Life and career Hill came from a family of distinguished academics – her fathe ...

(1914–2005), British economic historian *

Polly Hill (horticulturist) Mary Louise Butcher "Polly" Hill (January 30, 1907 – April 25, 2007) was an American horticulturist best known for testing how well plants could survive in cold climates. She founded the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha's Vineyard, Massachus ...

(1907–2007), American horticulturist *

Polly Holliday Polly Dean Holliday (born July 2, 1937) is a retired American actress who has appeared on stage, television and in film. She is best known for her portrayal of sassy waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry on the 1970s sitcom ''Alice'', which s ...

(born 1937), American actress *

Polly Horvath Polly Horvath (born 30 January 1957) is an American-Canadian author of novels for children and young adults. She won the 2003 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature for '' The Canning Season'', published by Farrar, Straus and Giro ...

(born 1957), Canadian author * Polly James - multiple people **

Polly James Polly James (born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television and radio. Career Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney. After graduating from RADA, her TV career began ...

(born 1941), British actress **

Polly James (broadcaster) Polly James (formerly Polly Lake; born ) is a Welsh radio and television presenter. She has presented for Absolute Radio, Radio X, and Capital South Wales. She has been a television sports broadcaster, covering darts for Sky Sports, as well as ...

(fl. 2010 -), British broadcaster ** Polly James (screenwriter) (fl. 1940's - 1950's), American screen writer *

Polly Klaas Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (a diminutive of Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina, Polona, Paula or Paulina. People named or nicknamed Polly Female * Caresse Cros ...

(1981–1993), American murder victim *

Polly Lada-Mocarski Laura "Polly" Lada-Mocarski (born Laura Mitchell Klots; 1902–1997) was an American craftsperson, rare book scholar, bookbinder, book preservationist, educator, and the inventor of the PolyCase, an exhibition display for old and rare books. She se ...

(1902–1997), American bookbinder, inventor and rare book scholar * Polly Maberly (born 1976), English actress * Polly Marshall, English professional cricketer * Polly Matzinger (born 1947), French immunologist *

Polly Allen Mellen Polly Mellen (''née'' Allen; born June 18, 1924) is an American stylist and retired fashion editor. For more than sixty years, she served as the fashion editor at '' Harper's Bazaar'' and ''Vogue''. From 1991 to 1999 she was the creative direc ...

(born 1924), American stylist and fashion editor for ''Harper's Bazaar'' and ''Vogue'' *

Polly Moran Pauline Theresa Moran (June 28, 1883 – January 25, 1952) billed as Polly Moran, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage and screen and comedian. Career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Moran started in vaudeville, and widely toured North A ...

(1883–1952), American actress and comedian *

Polly Nelson Polly Jean Nelson (born 1952) is an American attorney and author. She is best known as a member of serial killer Ted Bundy's last defense team from 1986 until his execution in 1989.Nelson 1994, p. 9 Education and early career Nelson grew up in c ...

(born 1952), American attorney and author *

Polly Pattullo Polly Pattullo Hon. FRSL is a British author, journalist, editor and publisher, who co-founded in 1998 the independent publishing company Papillote Press,Polly Paulusma Polly Paulusma (born 10 November 1976) is an English singer-songwriter. Career Her first album, ''Scissors in my Pocket'', was largely recorded and produced by herself at her home. A second album, ''Cosmic Rosy Spine Kites'' (a virtual anagra ...

(born 1976), English singer-songwriter *

Polly Perkins Polly Perkins (born Gillian Nessie Arnold, 31 May 1943) is a British actress, singer and writer. Perkins rose to fame in the 1960s as a popstar, going on to regularly appear in theatre and cabaret throughout the UK. She is known for playing Ros ...

(born 1943), British actress, singer and writer *

Polly Platt Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (a diminutive of Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina, Polona, Paula or Paulina. People named or nicknamed Polly Female *Caresse Cros ...

(1939–2011), American film producer, production designer and screenwriter *

Polly Powrie Olivia Elizabeth "Polly" Powrie (born 9 December 1987) is a New Zealand sailor. She has won Olympic and world championship titles in the 470 class, and is also a former 420 world champion. Biography Powrie and her sailing partner Jo Aleh, w ...

(born 1987), New Zealand sailor *

Polly Renton The Honourable Polly Renton, born Penelope Sally Rosita Renton (4 March 1970 – 28 May 2010), was an award-winning British documentary film maker and proponent of ethical journalism, who played an important part in transforming political televisi ...

(1970–2010), British documentary film maker *

Polly Riley Polly Ann Riley (August 27, 1926 – March 13, 2002) was an American amateur golfer. Riley won over 100 tournaments in her career. Although she remained an amateur throughout her career, she won the first LPGA Tour event, the 1950 Tampa Open ...

(1926–2002), American amateur golfer * Polly Rosenbaum (1899–2003), American politician and teacher *

Polly Rowles Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Rowles (January 10, 1914 – October 7, 2001 in Concord, New Hampshire) was an American actress. Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rowles was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph T. Rowles. Her father was a ...

(1914–2001), American actress *

Polly Samson Polly Samson (born 29 April 1962) is an English novelist, lyricist, and journalist. She is married to the musician David Gilmour and has written the lyrics to many of Gilmour's works, both as a solo artist and with the group Pink Floyd. Life an ...

(born 1962), English journalist and writer *

Polly Scattergood Polly Scattergood (born 18 October 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. She has been described as ethereal, dark, intense and quirky, while her musical style has been described as "early 21st century electro-dance-pop of London proper". ...

(born 1986), English singer-songwriter *

Polly Shackleton Pauline "Polly" Ehrlich Shackleton (June 19, 1910 – July 14, 1997)''U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014'' was an American Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. She was elected as one of the original members of the Council of the D ...

(1910–1997), American politician *

Polly Shannon Polly Shannon (born September 1, 1973) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Margaret Trudeau in the 2002 miniseries '' Trudeau'', a film about the late Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau. Biography Polly Shannon wa ...

(born 1973), Canadian actress * Polly Smith (1908–1980), American photographer *

Polly Stenham Polly Stenham (born 16 July 1986) is an English playwright known for her play ''That Face'', which she wrote when she was 19 years old. Background Stenham was born and raised in London. She attributes her love of theatre to her father as he to ...

(born 1986), English playwright * Polly Stockton (born 1973), British event (horse) rider *

Poly Styrene Marianne Joan Elliott-Said (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011), known by the stage name Poly Styrene, was an English musician, singer-songwriter, and frontwoman for the punk rock band X-Ray Spex. Early life Poly Styrene was born Marianne Joan Ell ...

(1957–2011) professional name of Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, British musician and singer-songwriter * Polly Swann (born 1988), British rower and world champion in the women's coxless pairs *

Polly Sy Polly Wee Sy is a Filipino mathematician specializing in functional analysis. She is a professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of the Philippines Diliman, the former head of the mathematics department at the university, and the former pr ...

, Filipino mathematician * Polly Teale (born 1962), British writer and theater director * Polly Toynbee (born 1946), British journalist and writer * Polly Lauder Tunney (1907–2008), American philanthropist and socialite, wife of boxer Gene Tunney *

Polly Walker Polly Alexandra Walker (born 19 May 1966) is an English actress. She has starred in the films '' Enchanted April'' (1991), ''Patriot Games'' (1992), ''Sliver'' (1993), ''Restoration'' (1995), '' The Gambler'' (1997), and '' Savage Messiah'' (20 ...

(born 1966), English actress *

Polly Ward Polly Ward (born Byno Poluski; 30 June 1912–23 February 1987) was a British singer and actress. Filmography * '' The Marriage Business'' (1927) * '' Alf's Button'' (1930) * '' Harmony Heaven'' (1930) * '' His Lordship'' (1932) * '' Kentucky Mi ...

(1912–1987), British singer and actress *

Polly Ann Young Polly Ann Young (October 25, 1908 – January 21, 1997) was an American actress. Biography Young was born in Denver, Colorado. Actresses Loretta Young and Sally Blane were her sisters. From 1917 to 1941, she was featured in over 40 movies, ...

(1908–1997), American actress, sister of Loretta Young *

Polly Young Polly Young (also known as Mary Young, Maria Young, Polly Barthélemon and Maria Barthélemon) (7 July 1749 – 20 September 1799) was an English soprano, composer and keyboard player. She was part of a well-known English family of musicians th ...

(1749–1799), English soprano, composer and keyboard player

Male

Bill Perkins (Australian rules footballer) William Albert Henry Perkins, or 'Polly' as he was affectionately known, was an Australian rules footballer who was a member of Richmond Football Club's 1943 premiership side. Born in England, Perkins was recruited from Dandenong District Ass ...

(1920–2009), also known as Polly *

Graham Farmer Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...

(1935–2019), Australian rules football player and coach, nicknamed Polly *

Polly Umrigar Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigar (28 March 1926 – 7 November 2006) was an Indian cricketer. He played in Indian cricket team (1948- 1962) and played first-class cricket for Bombay and Gujarat. Umrigar played mainly as a middle-order batsman ...

(1926–2006), Indian cricketer *

Polly Wolfe Roy Chamberlain "Polly" Wolfe was a professional baseball player. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball, 1912 and 1914, for the Chicago White Sox, primarily as a right fielder. In 1912 he made one appearance as a pinch hitter, st ...

(1888–1939), American Major League Baseball player

Fictional characters

*Alfred Polly, title character of ''

The History of Mr Polly ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells. Plot summary The protagonist of ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa 1 ...

'', a novel by H. G. Wells *Aunt Polly, in the novels '' Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' and ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' *Aunt Polly, in the novel ''

Pollyanna ''Pollyanna'' is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter's soon writing a sequel, ''Pollyanna Grows Up'' (1915). Eleven more ''Pollyanna'' sequels, know ...

'' *

Polly Becker Polly Becker is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Victoria Gould from 25 March 1997 until 22 September 1998. Storylines Polly, a journalist, turns up in Albert Square in March 1997 to report the local happen ...

, on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1997–1998) *Cactus Polly, in American-British children's TV series ''

Oswald Oswald may refer to: People *Oswald (given name), including a list of people with the name *Oswald (surname), including a list of people with the name Fictional characters *Oswald the Reeve, who tells a tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbur ...

'' *Polly Chuck, in the anime television series ''

Fables of the Green Forest is an anime television series based on a series of books published in the 1910s and 1920s by Thornton W. Burgess which ran on the Japanese network Fuji Television from 7 January 1973 to 30 December 1973. It consists of 52 episodes and was pr ...

'' *Polly Churchill, a main character in Connie Willis' two-part novel ''

Blackout/All Clear ''Blackout'' and ''All Clear'' are the two volumes that constitute a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis. ''Blackout'' was published February 2, 2010 by Spectra. The second part, the conclusion ''All Clear'', was releas ...

'' (2010) *Polly Cooper, in the American TV series '' Riverdale'' *Polly Cronin, from 1991 black comedy movie ''

Drop Dead Fred ''Drop Dead Fred'' is a 1991 black comedy fantasy film directed by Ate de Jong, produced by PolyGram and Working Title Films and released and distributed by New Line Cinema, starring Phoebe Cates as a young woman named Elizabeth Cronin and Rik Ma ...

'' *Polly Dawson, in the American TV sitcom ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' *Polly Duncan, Jim Qwilleran's girlfriend in ''The Cat Who . . .'' series by Lillian Jackson Braun *Polly Geist, in the simulation role-playing visual novel game ''

Monster Prom ''Monster Prom'' is a Dating sim, dating simulation game developed by Beautiful Glitch, a studio based in Barcelona and founded by Julián Quijano, and published by Those Awesome Guys. The game was released for Windows, macOS and Linux on 27 April ...

'' *Polly Gray, nee Elizabeth Shelby, a senior member of the principal gangster family featured in the BBC TV series ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, rack ...

'' *Polly Maxwell, in the American TV miniseries V (1983) and ''

V The Final Battle ''V: The Final Battle'' (abbreviated as ''V:TFB'') is a 1984 American TV miniseries. It is a sequel to the 1983 miniseries ''V'' written by Kenneth Johnson about aliens known as "The Visitors" trying to take over Earth. Johnson parted ways ...

'' * Polly O'Keefe, protagonist or major character in four Madeleine L'Engle novels *

Polly Page ''The Bill'' is a long-running British television police procedural television series, named after a slang term for the police. The Character (arts), characters are all police officers or civilian staff at the fictional Sun Hill (The Bill), Sun ...

, a police constable in British TV series ''The Bill'' *Polly Peachum, in Bertolt Brecht's play ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...

'' *Polly Perkins, title character of the 19th-century music hall song ''

Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green "Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green" is the title of an English song, composed by the London music hall and broadside songwriter Harry Clifton (1832–1872), and first published in 1864. It is catalogued as Roud Folk Song Index No. 430. ...

'' *

Polly Plantar The animated series ''Amphibia'' features a number of characters created by Matt Braly. The series centers on Anne Boonchuy who opens a mysterious music box that transports herself and her friends to the world of Amphibia. Anne is adopted by the ...

, a main character in the animated series ''

Amphibia Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

'' *

Polly Plummer Polly Plummer (1889-1949) is a major fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She appears in two of the seven books: ''The Magician's Nephew'' and '' The Last Battle''. Biography In ''The Magician's ...

, a main character in C. S. Lewis' novel ''The Magician's Nephew'' *

Polly Pocket Polly Pocket is a toy line of dolls and accessories first founded and designed by Chris Wiggs in 1983 and licensed by Bluebird Toys from 1989 until both entities/properties were acquired by Mattel in 1998. History Polly Pocket was first designe ...

, a main character in the Polly Pocket series * Polly Prince, title character in the film ''Along Came Polly'', played by

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

* Polly (''Underdog''), full name Sweet Polly Purebread, in the American animated TV series ''Underdog'' * Polly Sherman, waitress in the British sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'', played by Connie Booth *Polly Wright, in the 1997 French-American fantasy drama movie '' FairyTale: A True Story'' *Polly, in the 1935 American drama film ''

Orchids to You ''Orchids to You'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring John Boles (actor), John Boles, Jean Muir (actress), Jean Muir and Charles Butterworth (actor), Charles Butterworth.Solomon p.379 The screenplay concerns ...

'' *Polly, the pet parrot of G.I. Joe member Shipwreck from the ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' cartoon series *

Polly (Doctor Who) Polly, sometimes called Polly Wright in spin-off material, is a fictional character played by Anneke Wills in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She is a young woman from the year 1966 and was a companio ...

, in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', a companion of the First and Second Doctors * Polly the Party Fun Fairy, from the book series ''

Rainbow Magic ''Rainbow Magic'' is a British children's fiction brand originally created by Working Partners and now owned by IoM Media Ventures. It is best known for the children's books published by Orchard Books. The books are ghostwritten by a number of ...

References

{{Given name Feminine given names Lists of people by nickname

People named or nicknamed Polly

Female

Male

Fictional characters

See also

References