Jolly Surname & English Ancestors

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Origins of the Surname 

It’s speculated that the surname Jolly may have its roots in the Old Norse “jól”, which is a midwinter festival celebrating the gradual lengthening of days.  Jól is also referred to as Jul, joulu, or yule.  The Jól festival was later incorporated into the Christian Church for celebration of the birth of Christ...or Christmas!


The surname Jolly has many variations…Jolli, Jollie, French Joli, Old English Jollif, and Jolliffe.  

The name is translated to jolly, gay, happy, merry, trim, fine, gallant, neat, handsome, etc.  


My Jolly lineage can be traced back to the early 1500’s, connecting to the Jolliffe family of England.


Jolliffe Settlement in England


During the 11th century, England became the target of The Norman Conquest, which was the invasion and subsequent occupation of the country by a formidable army composed of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French soldiers.  The mastermind behind this conquest was the Duke of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror.


Following this invasion, the Jolliffe settled and lived in England for many centuries.  Their presence extended across various counties including Stafford, Cheshire, Worcester, Lancaster, Dorset, and in London.  This Jolliffe family was of considerable stature in the counties of Stafford and Worcester.  They served as sheriffs, aldermen, lord mayors, members of parliament, and governors of provinces.   Some married into prestigious and noble houses.  I will delve further into some of these stories in future blog posts.


Records indicate that many of them were tall, dark haired, and blue eyed.  They also seemed to be home lovers, sticking closely to their place of birth. They adhered strongly to customs and were not easily persuaded to adopt new religions or governments.


Members of the family, and my ancestral line, migrated to Colonial America in the 1600’s and settled first in Virginia. I’ll write more about this migration in a later blog post.


Jolliffe Crest 


The Jolliffe motto “tant que je puis” translates to “as much/long as I can”.  The crest is described as:  “Argent on a pile Azure, three Dexter Gauntlets of the field”



My Ancestral Line:


As of the date of this blog, ongoing research into my ancestral lineage continues.  The repeated use of certain first names across multiple generations adds an additional layer of complexity to the task of identifying my ancestral line.  At present, understanding of my ancestral line is as follows:


  1. John Gulley Jolliffe (1525-1609, England)

  2. Thomas Casey Jolliffe (1558-1610, England)

  3. William Jolliffe (abt 1580-1669, England)

  4. Thomas Jolliffe, Esquire (abt. 1620-1694, England)

  5. John Jolley (1652-1716, England to Virginia) or Thomas Jolley (1643-1713, Ireland to England) I’m still researching this generation

  6. William Jolley (1663-Unknown, Ireland to Virginia)

  7. Dudley Jolly (1695-1721, Ireland to Virginia)

  8. William Jolly (1717 to unknown, Virginia)

  9. Dudley Anderson Jolly (1736-1821 (Virginia to Tennessee)

  10. Dudley Jolly (abt 1770-1807, Virginia to Tennessee)

  11. William H (Ham) Jolly (1803-1867, Tennessee to Illinois)

  12. William Matthew Jolly (1840-1934, Illinois to Missouri)

  13. William Edward Jolly (1874-1941, Illinois to Missouri)

  14. Robert Vaughn Jolly (1916-1987, Missouri) 

  15. Celia Ann Jolly

  16. Me



Resources/Citations:



Disclaimer:  I am an amateur genealogist, and although I am committed to striving for accuracy in my research, I cannot provide a 100% guarantee of the accuracy of all the information I present. Genealogy involves piecing together historical records and documents, which can sometimes be incomplete, conflicting, or subject to errors. Therefore, I encourage readers to approach the information I provide as a valuable starting point for their own research, verify details independently, and seek professional guidance if needed.

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