Tolly
A diminutive form of the given name Theodora or Theodore.
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Tolly. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 64.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Tolly today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Tolly births was 1949 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Tolly. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Tolly is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Tollys were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Tolly. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1949
6 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1949 SSA rank
#3,660
Tracked since 1947
Gender
Gender distribution for Tolly
Tolly is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 17 total registrations, 11 (64.7%) were male and 6 (35.3%) were female.
Tolly as a male name
- Ranked #3,660 in 1949
- 6 male births in 1949
- Peak: 1949 (6 births)
Tolly as a female name
- Ranked #9,192 in 1976
- 6 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1976 (6 births)
Popularity
Tolly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Tolly from the 1940s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Tolly remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Tolly by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Tolly during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Tolly
The given name Tolly is believed to have originated from the Old English word "tol," which means "tax" or "toll." This name likely emerged during the Medieval period in England, where it may have been used as a nickname or occupational surname for tax collectors or toll-keepers.
In the early Middle Ages, Tolly was primarily found in regions of England, particularly in areas with major trade routes or market towns where tolls were collected. The name's roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era, when the Old English language was widely spoken in Britain.
While there are no known direct references to the name Tolly in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used informally or regionally during that time period. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, with references appearing in parish records and official documents.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the name Tolly was Sir Tolly Fitz-William, a prominent English knight who lived in the late 13th century. He was known for his service in the Scottish Wars under King Edward I.
In the 16th century, Tolly Crompton, born in 1525, was a renowned English textile worker and inventor who is credited with developing the first mechanical spinning machine, revolutionizing the textile industry.
During the 17th century, Tolly Fagg, born in 1638, was a British soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the English Civil War.
In the 19th century, Tolly Young, born in 1813, was a Scottish educator and author who wrote several influential textbooks on mathematics and arithmetic.
Another notable figure with the name Tolly was Tolly Cobbold, born in 1835, an English brewer and businessman who founded the Tolly Cobbold Brewery in Ipswich, which became one of the largest breweries in the region.
While the name Tolly may not be as common today as it was in previous centuries, it continues to be used as a given name, particularly in certain regions of England and among families with historical connections to the name.
People
Tolly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Tolly as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Tolly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Tolly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Tolly going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Tolly a common name?
We classify Tolly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Tolly most popular?
The single biggest year for Tolly was 1949, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Tolly is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Tolly a male name?
Yes, 64.7% of people registered as Tolly in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.