2000
#2,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.62
Uncommon Last name
Jolly
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person who was cheerful, jovial, or merry in disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,230 Americans carry the last name Jolly. That puts it at #2,368 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jolly surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jolly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,893
Census rank
#2,368
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,025 bearers of the surname Jolly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2368th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jolly
The surname Jolly is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "joli," meaning "pretty" or "cheerful." It is believed to have emerged as a nickname for someone with a cheerful or merry disposition.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Jolly dates back to the late 12th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William le Jolif, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1199.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Jolie, Joly, and Jollye, reflecting the evolution of the English language. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a John le Jolye in Oxfordshire.
The Jolly surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Jolly's Acre in Hertfordshire and Jolly's Farm in Kent, suggesting that some bearers of the name may have derived it from these locations.
One notable early bearer of the surname was Sir John Jolly, a Member of Parliament for Southampton in 1397. Another was Robert Jolly, a 16th-century English merchant and explorer who is credited with introducing the turkey to England from Mexico.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Thomas Jolly fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was killed in action at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, John Jolly (1708-1780) was a renowned English artist known for his landscapes and portrait paintings. He was a founding member of the Society of Artists of Great Britain.
Benjamin Jolly (1758-1823) was a celebrated English physician and author who wrote several works on medical topics, including "The Elements of Midwifery" and "The Principles of Anatomy and Physiology."
In the 19th century, Alfred Jolly (1845-1925) was a prominent English politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Birmingham from 1895 to 1896.
Throughout its history, the Jolly surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this cheerful moniker.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jolly
Among Census respondents with the surname Jolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jolly bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jolly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 10,772
- Black or African American17.3% · 2,596
- Two or more races3.9% · 593
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 514
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 483
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jolly
Jolly appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,827
+661 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 5.37
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#2,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,025
-802 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.03
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,198 | 15,166 | 5.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,306 | 15,827 | 5.37 | +661 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #2,368 | 15,025 | 5.03 | -802 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 62 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jolly surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,306 | #2,368 | -2.7% |
| Count | 15,827 | 15,025 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.37 | 5.03 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jolly bearers went from 15,827 to 15,025 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,306 to #2,368.
FAQ
Jolly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jolly?
Name Census estimates that about 17,230 living Americans carry the surname Jolly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,893 residents.
How common is Jolly?
Jolly ranks #2,368 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,025 people with the surname Jolly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Jolly.
Has Jolly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jolly went from 15,827 recorded bearers to 15,025. That is a decrease of 802 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,306 to #2,368.
What does the Census say about the background of Jolly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jolly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (10,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jolly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (17.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jolly (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jolly mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a person who was cheerful, jovial, or merry in disposition. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jolly (5.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Jolly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.