Where does the name Molly come from?

[catfordcrooner]

I expect this has been asked before - so sorry if it has

[Mike in Cumbria]

It is (or was originally) a  pet name for Mary.

Mary = Molly = Polly

[stanmapstone]

MOLLY   f   English
Diminutive of MARY. It developed from Malle and Molle, other medieval diminutives. James Joyce used this name in his novel 'Ulysses' (1920), where it belongs to Molly Bloom, the wife of the main character.
http://www.behindthename.com/names/letter/m/5

Stan

[omega 1]

My Mother-in-Law had 3 Christian  names

Charity Florence Mercy  & was always called Molly

omega

[kateblogs]

I always thought it was a pet name for Mary too. My grandmother was officially called Mary, but she was always known as Molly.

[lizdb]

Milly-Molly-Mandy (anyone else remember those books?) was Millicent Margaret Amanda, if I remember rightly.

Like so many pet names, there are not hard and fast rules. It may officially be a pet name for Mary, but I am sure many little girls with all sorts of different names, may have been known as Molly.

[kateblogs]

I remember Milly Molly Mandy 

It's true pet names are pretty adaptable. Jack is supposed to be a pet from of John, but one of my sons is known as Jack even though he is actually a Jacob.

[giggsycat]

My "Auntie Molly" led me a merry dance. It turned out that she was actually Edith Florence!

[Lilym]

My mother in law 'Molly' was baptised Marion, after an aunt Mary Ann. Now it appears a a name in its own right.