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

Polly, 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 Polly surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Polly in America

Polly is the 11946th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Polly surname appeared 2,617 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 Polly.

We can also compare 2010 data for Polly 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 Polly

The surname Polly has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a patronymic or locational name, deriving from the Old English word "poll" or "pol", meaning "pool" or "stream".

In medieval times, the name may have referred to someone who lived near a pool or stream, or it could have been an occupational name for someone who worked in a pool-related profession, such as fishing or maintaining waterways. The earliest known record of the surname Polly dates back to 1273, when a William Polle was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.

The name appears in various historical records throughout the centuries, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Polly is listed. In the 15th century, the spelling of the name varied, with forms like "Pooley" and "Polay" appearing in documents.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Robert Polley, a merchant from Bristol, England, who was born around 1500. He is mentioned in records from the 16th century for his trading activities in the city.

In the 17th century, the Polly surname can be found in parish records across various counties in England, including Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. During this period, the name was also associated with several place names, such as Polly Hall in Wiltshire and Polly Brook in Gloucestershire.

A prominent figure with the surname Polly was Sir John Pollexfen Polly (1638-1702), an English judge and Member of Parliament. He served as Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1688 to 1702.

Another notable bearer of the name was William Polly (1700-1782), an English watchmaker and inventor from London. He is credited with developing a method for compensating for temperature changes in pocket watches, which greatly improved their accuracy.

In the 19th century, the Polly surname was borne by several individuals of note, including Richard Polly (1785-1861), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Charles Polly (1810-1892), an English architect known for his work on churches and public buildings in London.

Throughout its history, the surname Polly has been carried by numerous individuals across various fields and professions, with its roots firmly grounded in the English language and the country's rich cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Polly

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

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

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

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