Meaning: Its source is Mary, an English name meaning "Wished-for child."

Narrative: This nickname developed among the Irish, first in the form of Mally. Given of the plaintive Irish air ''Molly Malone'' (''selling cockles and mussels, alive, alive-o'') and the secret workingman's society the Molly MacGuires, the name's Irish connection seems to be a permanent feature.