Fun Facts About the Name Truly
- More than 1 thousand babies named Truly: U.S. records list 1,097 babies given the name Truly from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 boys received the name Truly - about 1 boy for every 218 girls.
What Does the Name Truly Mean?
Truly is an English word name taken directly from the adverb truly, meaning "sincerely," "genuinely," or "in truth." The adverb descends from Old English trēowlīce, formed from trēowe ("faithful, trustworthy, true") plus the adverbial ending -līce, the ancestor of Modern English -ly. Trēowe goes back to Proto-Germanic *treuwaz, a word bound up with ideas of firmness and dependability, and it is also the source of trust and the archaic verb trow. The oldest sense of the adverb was "in a faithful or trustworthy manner"; the sense "in accordance with fact, truthfully" came later. Used as a name, Truly keeps the word's plain meaning without any change in form.
Truly Name History & Origins
Truly belongs to the English practice of turning ordinary words into personal names, the same broad tradition that produced virtue names such as Faith, Charity, Prudence, and Patience. The name is uncommon in English-speaking countries, and its early use as a given name is not well recorded in the standard reference works on English personal names, so little can be said about when it first appeared in parish registers or family records.
The name is widely familiar, however, from the character Truly Scrumptious in Ian Fleming's children's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964) and the 1968 film adaptation, in which the role was played by Sally Ann Howes. That is a well-known literary and film use of Truly as a given name, not evidence of where the name came from or of the earliest instance of its use.
How Popular is the Name Truly?
Truly has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #2,816 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,816 | 61 | 0.0038% |
| 2024 | #3,067 | 53 | 0.0033% |
| 2023 | #3,579 | 44 | 0.0027% |
| 2022 | #2,888 | 59 | 0.0036% |
| 2021 | #2,997 | 56 | 0.0034% |
| 2020 | #2,958 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2019 | #3,035 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 2018 | #3,664 | 42 | 0.0025% |
| 2017 | #3,432 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2016 | #3,463 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2015 | #3,205 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 2014 | #3,269 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2013 | #3,773 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2012 | #4,379 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2011 | #5,531 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2010 | #7,857 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #7,317 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #8,084 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #7,378 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #7,846 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #12,936 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #9,237 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #6,564 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2002 | #10,194 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #10,969 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #13,069 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #11,330 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #12,355 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #11,735 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #15,638 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #13,057 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #12,290 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #11,718 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #7,105 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1985 | #12,401 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #10,219 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #10,458 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #12,094 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #5,520 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1976 | #10,821 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #10,161 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #6,056 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #9,584 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #7,030 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #6,580 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #5,780 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #5,267 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #7,467 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #5,704 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #6,156 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1943 | #5,325 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #4,209 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #4,946 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #4,220 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1936 | #4,807 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #4,513 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #4,400 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #5,795 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1919 | #4,763 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #4,764 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #4,548 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #4,897 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | #4,106 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Truly Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Truly's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Truly's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.