2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rolly
A derivative of the Norman nickname "le Rou" meaning red or ruddy-complexioned.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Rolly. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rolly 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.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Rolly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rolly
The surname Rolly has its origins in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "rolle," which means a roll or scroll. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who worked as a scribe or a record keeper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rolly can be found in the Cartulaire de Beauvais, a manuscript dating from the late 12th century. This document mentions a person named Rolly de Marcellis, who was likely a resident of the town of Marcelli in the Île-de-France region.
During the 13th century, the name Rolly began to spread throughout northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. It is possible that the name was associated with certain occupations, such as clerks, scribes, or administrators, who were responsible for maintaining records and rolls of parchment.
In the 14th century, the Rolly surname appears in several historical records, including the Burgundian Roll of Arms, a compilation of heraldic emblems from the Duchy of Burgundy. This suggests that by this time, the Rolly family had achieved a certain level of prominence and nobility.
One notable figure bearing the Rolly surname was Jean Rolly, a French composer and organist who lived from 1659 to 1719. He served as the organist at the Chapelle Royale in Paris and composed numerous works for the organ and other instruments.
Another individual of note was Jacques Rolly, a French painter who lived from 1726 to 1783. He was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and is known for his portraits and religious paintings.
In the 19th century, the Rolly surname can be found in various regions of France, including Alsace, Lorraine, and the Loire Valley. One notable bearer of the name was Firmin Rolly, a French architect who lived from 1810 to 1884. He designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Église Notre-Dame de Clignancourt.
While the surname Rolly is not as common today as it once was, it continues to hold a place in French history and culture, with its roots stretching back to the medieval period and its association with the world of scribes and record-keeping.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rolly
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rolly 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 Rolly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino14.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.8% · 15
- Black or African American6.4% · 7
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rolly
Rolly appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Rolly 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rolly bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Rolly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rolly?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Rolly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Rolly?
Rolly ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Rolly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Rolly.
Has Rolly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rolly went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Rolly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolly, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.8%). 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 Rolly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rolly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Hispanic (14.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.8%). 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 Rolly (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 Rolly mean?
A derivative of the Norman nickname "le Rou" meaning red or ruddy-complexioned. 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 Rolly (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Rolly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.