Find out how popular the last name Brolly is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Brolly.

Brolly, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Brolly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Brolly in America

Brolly is the 141140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Brolly surname appeared 118 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Brolly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Brolly to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Brolly

The surname Brolly is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Brolacháin, which originated in County Westmeath, Ireland in the 12th century. The name is derived from the word "brolach," meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy," suggesting that the original bearer of the name was a person of means.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Brolly dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns during the reign of Elizabeth I. One notable mention is in the Fiants of 1585, which lists a pardon granted to "Donogho O'Brollaghan of Delvin" in County Westmeath.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in the Petty Census of 1659, which was a survey of landowners in Ireland conducted by Sir William Petty. The census listed several Brollys residing in County Westmeath, including a Patrick Brolly and a John Brolly.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Edmond Brolly (c. 1670-1741), a Catholic landowner from County Westmeath who was involved in the Jacobite uprisings in Ireland. He fought alongside the Jacobite forces in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and was later pardoned for his involvement.

Another notable figure with the surname Brolly was Michael Brolly (1789-1869), an Irish Catholic priest and author who served as the parish priest of Killybegs in County Donegal. He wrote several religious works, including "The Imitation of Christ" and "The Following of Christ."

In the 19th century, the name appeared in various Irish emigration records, with many Brollys leaving Ireland during the Great Famine of the 1840s and settling in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One such immigrant was James Brolly (1825-1901), who emigrated from County Westmeath to New York City in the 1850s and became a successful merchant.

Other historical figures bearing the Brolly surname include John Brolly (1836-1913), an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament for South Tyrone, and Patrick Brolly (1917-2003), an Irish Republican Army member who was involved in the Irish War of Independence.

Overall, the surname Brolly has a rich history rooted in Ireland, with its origins dating back to the 12th century and its bearers playing significant roles in various historical events and movements throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Brolly

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Brolly.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Brolly was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Brolly has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Brolly was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Brolly, please contact us.

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