2000
#13,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Jolliff
A variant of the French surname Jolliffe, derived from the Old French jolif, meaning "merry" or "cheerful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,404 Americans carry the last name Jolliff. That puts it at #13,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jolliff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jolliff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,577
Census rank
#13,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,096 bearers of the surname Jolliff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jolliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jolliff
The surname Jolliff is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the French name Jolif or Jolliffe, which is derived from the Old French word "jolif" meaning "pretty" or "handsome."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Jollif." This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name Jolliff was concentrated primarily in the counties of Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire in southwestern England. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, possibly as a descriptive nickname for someone with a cheerful or attractive appearance.
In the 13th century, a record exists of a Richard Jolliff who was a landowner in the village of Cheddar, Somerset. Another early bearer of the name was John Jolliff, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Bridgwater in Somerset in 1327.
One notable figure with the surname Jolliff was Sir William Jolliff (1611-1671), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Petersfield in Hampshire during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Jolliff family was John Jolliff (1706-1786), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Wiltshire. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and donated funds to establish a school in the town of Trowbridge.
Another significant individual was Sir William Jolliffe (1745-1802), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and was knighted for his military service.
In the 19th century, Hylton Jolliffe (1807-1890) was a notable English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Stafford and wrote several theological works.
While the name Jolliff may have originated as a descriptive nickname, over time it became a well-established surname in certain regions of England, particularly in the southwestern counties. Despite its rarity, the name has persisted through the centuries, with various individuals bearing it making contributions in fields such as politics, business, the military, and the Church.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jolliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Jolliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Jolliff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jolliff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 1,773
- Black or African American8.3% · 174
- Two or more races4.2% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jolliff
Jolliff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,144
+23 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 845 places
2020
#13,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,096
-48 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 241 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,201 | 2,121 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,046 | 2,144 | 0.73 | +23 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 845 places |
| 2020 | #13,805 | 2,096 | 0.70 | -48 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 241 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jolliff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,046 | #13,805 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,144 | 2,096 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.70 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jolliff bearers went from 2,144 to 2,096 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 241 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,046 to #13,805.
FAQ
Jolliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jolliff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,404 living Americans carry the surname Jolliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,577 residents.
How common is Jolliff?
Jolliff ranks #13,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,096 people with the surname Jolliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jolliff.
Has Jolliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jolliff went from 2,144 recorded bearers to 2,096. That is a decrease of 48 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,046 to #13,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Jolliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jolliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jolliff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (1,773 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jolliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (8.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jolliff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jolliff mean?
A variant of the French surname Jolliffe, derived from the Old French jolif, meaning "merry" or "cheerful." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jolliff (0.70 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Jolliff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.