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Jolly Family History

Jolly Surname 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: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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 1911 there were 121 Jolly families living in Ontario. This was about 45% of all the recorded Jolly's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Jolly families in 1911.
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.
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What did your Jolly ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Jolly. 43% of Jolly men worked as a Farmer and 18% of Jolly women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jolly were Clerk and Ledger Clerk.

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 1921

  • Farmer
    43%
  • Labourer
    13%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Clerk
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    18%
  • Stenographer
    18%
  • Housewife
    18%
  • Ledger Clerk
    12%

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 Canadian 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 Canada, 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

You've only scratched the surface of Jolly family history

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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

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Jolly ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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