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

Joly, 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 Joly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Joly in America

Joly is the 19004th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Joly surname appeared 1,434 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 Joly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Joly 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 Joly

The surname Joly originated in France, with earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "jolif," meaning "pretty" or "joyful." The name likely referred to someone with a cheerful disposition or an attractive appearance.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Renaud Joly, a French nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was mentioned in the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, France.

In the 13th century, the Joly surname appeared in various regions of France, including Normandy, Burgundy, and Île-de-France. Some early variations of the spelling included Jolye, Jolie, and Joli.

The name Joly was also found in medieval English records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a William Joly in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name may have been introduced to England during the Norman Conquest.

In the 14th century, a prominent figure with the surname Joly was Philippe Joly, a French scholar and clergyman born around 1320. He served as the chancellor of the University of Paris and was highly respected for his knowledge of canon law.

During the Renaissance period, the Joly family produced several notable individuals, including Claude Joly (1607-1700), a French historian and clergyman who wrote extensively on the political and religious affairs of his time.

Another significant bearer of the Joly name was Guy Joly (1624-1705), a French jurist and writer who served as the president of the Parliament of Paris and was known for his opposition to the absolutist policies of Louis XIV.

In the 18th century, Jean-Claude Joly (1756-1838) was a French politician and lawyer who played a role in the French Revolution and served as the president of the National Assembly in 1792.

Throughout history, the Joly surname has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Joly-Ville, Joly-en-Brie, and Joly-sur-Moselle, further attesting to its French origins and geographical distribution.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Joly

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

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

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

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