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Jolly Family History

Jolly Name Meaning

English Scottish and French: nickname for someone of a cheerful or attractive disposition from Middle English Old French jolif joli ‘cheerful lively pretty’. In North America this surname is also an altered form of the most common French variant Joly .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Polly, Lilly, Folley, Doll, Toll, Holly, Holley, Koll, Goldy, Molle

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Jolly family from?

You can see how Jolly families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Jolly family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Jolly families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 965 Jolly families living in Lancashire. This was about 28% of all the recorded Jolly's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Jolly families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jolly surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Jolly ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Jolly. 12% of Jolly men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Jolly women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jolly were Cowman and Cotton Weaver. .

View Census Data for Jolly | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    12%
  • Farm Labourer
    5%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Cowman
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Cotton Weaver
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Jolly family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 140,000 census records available for the last name Jolly. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Jolly census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Jolly

Passenger Lists

There are 14,000 immigration records available for the last name Jolly. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Jolly immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 19,000 military records available for the last name Jolly. For the veterans among your Jolly ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Jolly military records

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What is the average Jolly lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Jolly life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Jolly in 1940 was 31, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Jolly

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