How common is the surname Jolly?

15,827 people in the United States had the surname Jolly in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 19,508 Americans. It ranked 2,306th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Jolly?

Allison Jolly, American sailor, followed by David Jolly.

Where is the surname Jolly most common?

Wikidata records people named Jolly in the United States, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Jolly getting more or less common?

More common. 15,166 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 15,827 in 2010, up 4.4%.

Is Jolly also a first name?

Yes. Jolly is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Jolly

A surname, carried by 15,827 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex J400

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Jolly is more common than 98.6% of them.

Origin

* Cognate to the French name Jolie. It derives from the Old French word joli (merriness). * In Punjab (India) it is a corruption of the word jalli.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 15,827 people named Jolly in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 19,508 Americans. That is up 4.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 15,166.

#2,306

rank among US surnames

15,827

people in 2010

5.4

per 100,000 Americans

+4.4%

change since 2000 (was #2,198)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,297	Chapa	15,865	19,461
#2,298	Prather	15,860	19,467
#2,299	Seals	15,858	19,469
#2,300	Wetzel	15,849	19,480
#2,301	Mock	15,847	19,483
#2,302	Parham	15,846	19,484
#2,304	Hutson	15,835	19,498

Who is named Jolly

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

75% of people named Jolly identified as white (not Hispanic), 18% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

White (not Hispanic) 75%
Black (not Hispanic) 18%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Jollys

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Allison Jolly
American sailor, born 1956
David Jolly
American lobbyist and politician, born 1972
Alison Jolly
American Primatologist, 1937–2014
Pete Jolly
American musician (1932–2004)
André Jolly
Belgian politician (1799–1883)
Emika
British DJ and music producer (1986-)

Notable Jollys come mostly from the United States (4), Belgium (1) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Jolly

Jolly has the Soundex code J400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code J400.

Questions

Where does the surname Jolly come from?: * Cognate to the French name Jolie. It derives from the Old French word joli (merriness). * In Punjab (India) it is a corruption of the word jalli.
How common is the surname Jolly?: 15,827 people in the United States had the surname Jolly in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 19,508 Americans. It ranked 2,306th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Jolly?: In the 2010 Census, 75% of people named Jolly identified as white (not Hispanic), and 18% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Jolly?: Allison Jolly, American sailor, followed by David Jolly.
Where is the surname Jolly most common?: Wikidata records people named Jolly in the United States, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
Is the surname Jolly getting more or less common?: More common. 15,166 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 15,827 in 2010, up 4.4%.
Is Jolly also a first name?: Yes. Jolly is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.