Jolley
A surname that likely began as a nickname or as a spelling variant of related names such as Jolly or Jolliffe.
The #3,770 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,873 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical evidence is mixed. One 19th-century source treats Jolley as a variant linked to Jolliffe and Jolly, while another group of writers grouped it with surnames thought to have come from the personal name John or from older forms such as Jollif. Because these old explanations conflict, the safest view is that Jolley is an English surname that developed through spelling variation among several similar-sounding medieval names.
History
The name is recorded in England and later appears in American sources as well. In Victorian surname books it is often cross-referenced with Jolly, Jollie, and Jolliffe, showing that the spelling settled late and was not always consistent. The surname is now most familiar in English-speaking countries, especially Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century name dictionary explicitly told readers to look under other related entries instead of giving Jolley a separate derivation, which is a good sign that the spelling had a fluid history.
From the historical record
“Jolani, Fil'Jollani, Jollayn, and Jolleyn. JOLLEY. SeeJolliffe. JOLLY. JOLLIE. The same as Jolifle, JONAS. The personal name. JONES. A genitive form of John, through Johnes, common everywhere in England, but superabundant in Wales. Next to John Smith, John Jones is probably the most”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom