Sally

Sally is an English given name that originated as a medieval rhyming pet form of Sarah, following the same pattern by which Mary became Molly and Margaret became Maggy. Sarah itself derives from the Hebrew word meaning princess or noblewoman. Sally became widely used as an independent given name in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, particularly in Britain and America, where it was popularized in folk songs and literature. Sara and Sarah remain its closest cognates, while Sal functions as a shorter familiar form.