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

Dolly, 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 Dolly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dolly in America

Dolly is the 17784th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dolly surname appeared 1,575 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dolly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dolly 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 Dolly

The surname Dolly has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dol," meaning a valley or hollow. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a valley or a dell.

The earliest known record of the surname Dolly can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1194, where a person named Robert de Dol was mentioned. This spelling variation, "de Dol," was common in earlier times, indicating the person resided in or near a particular location.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Dolle, Dolli, and Dolly, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. One notable example is John Dolli, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

The Dolly surname has also been associated with several place names in England, including Dollis Hill in London and Dolcliffe in Derbyshire. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Dolly. One of the earliest was Sir John Dolly (c. 1300-1361), a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War under Edward III. Another notable figure was Thomas Dolly (1573-1638), an English composer and organist who served as the Master of the Choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

In the 17th century, William Dolly (1623-1692) was a renowned English botanist and herbalist who published several works on plants and their medicinal properties. During the same period, Edward Dolly (1638-1712) was a respected English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland.

Another noteworthy individual was Sir John Dolly (1780-1856), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

While the surname Dolly has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dolly

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

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 Dolly 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 Dolly 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 Dolly was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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