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

Tolley, 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 Tolley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tolley in America

Tolley is the 6005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tolley surname appeared 5,726 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Tolley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tolley 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 Tolley

The surname Tolley is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "tol" meaning tax or toll, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a tollgate or who worked as a toll collector.

The earliest known recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where a Robert de Tolley is mentioned. Other early spellings include Tolle, Tolly, and Tolley.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with names similar to Tolley, such as Tollesbia in Lincolnshire and Toleslunt in Essex, suggesting that the name may have originated from a specific location.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Tolley was Sir John Tolley (c. 1510-1570), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in the 16th century.

Another prominent figure was Sir Samuel Tolley (1642-1718), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1692-1693.

In the literary world, the name is associated with Henry Valentine Tolley (1785-1856), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and moral philosophy.

During the American Revolutionary War, Nathaniel Tolley (1755-1830) served as a captain in the Continental Army and fought in several major battles.

In more recent times, Sir William Tolley (1900-1988) was a British civil servant and diplomat who played a significant role in the transition of India to independence in 1947.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Tolley, a name with deep roots in the English language and historical records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tolley

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

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

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

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