Daily AncestorPolly
Polly was a common nickname for Mary in American records of the 1700s and 1800s.
Polly began as a rhyme on Molly, which was itself a pet form of Mary. A Vita Brevis guide from American Ancestors counts it among the most frequent stand-ins for Mary in American research from the 1700s into the early 1900s.
A gravestone or a family Bible may say Polly while a will or a deed says Mary. Search indexes under both forms so you do not miss her.
As seen in a recordTown marriage register, 1829; her baptism gives her name as Mary
Amos Birtwhistle and Polly Rountree, both of this town, married 23 Nov. 1829
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Polly." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/nicknames/polly. Last checked 2026-10-15.