NameCensus.

UK surname

Joll

A surname likely derived from a German variant of the given name Julian or Julien.

In the 1881 census there were 146 people recorded with the Joll surname, ranking it #15,752 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #15,752 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bovey Tracey, Hennock, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Stratton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kensington and Chelsea, Cornwall and North Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Joll is 168 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.8%.

1881 census count

146

Ranked #15,752

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

2010

168 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Joll had 146 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,752 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016, ranked #23,098.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 154 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Joll surname distribution map

The map shows where the Joll surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Joll surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Joll over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 151 #12,840
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 146 #15,752
1891 historical 139 #19,311
1901 historical 143 #18,570
1911 historical 154 #17,553
1997 modern 153 #20,868
1998 modern 150 #21,665
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 151 #21,684
2001 modern 144 #22,040
2002 modern 149 #22,001
2003 modern 149 #21,766
2004 modern 137 #23,098
2005 modern 138 #22,999
2006 modern 146 #22,320
2007 modern 151 #22,120
2008 modern 159 #21,598
2009 modern 166 #21,469
2010 modern 168 #21,733
2011 modern 162 #22,101
2012 modern 157 #22,551
2013 modern 155 #23,108
2014 modern 154 #23,439
2015 modern 154 #23,306
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Jolls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bovey Tracey, Hennock, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Stratton, Stoke Climsland and Poughill. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kensington and Chelsea, Cornwall and North Somerset. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bovey Tracey, Hennock Devon
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Stratton Cornwall
4 Stoke Climsland Cornwall
5 Poughill Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kensington and Chelsea 020 Kensington and Chelsea
2 Cornwall 026 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 055 Cornwall
4 North Somerset 021 North Somerset
5 Cornwall 006 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Joll

These lists show first names that appear often with the Joll surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Joll

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Joll, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Joll surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Joll household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Joll is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Joll is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Joll falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Joll is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Joll, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Joll

The surname JOLL originated in England, with earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "jole" or "jolle", meaning "head" or "skull". This suggests that the name may have been a nickname given to someone with a distinctive or large head.

During the medieval period, the name appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a certain William Joll was listed. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also mentioned a John Jolle.

In the 16th century, the surname was found in several parish registers across England, such as the marriage record of Thomas Joll and Agnes Smythe in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1584. The name was also recorded in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which were lists of those who supported the Protestant religion.

One notable bearer of the JOLL surname was Benjamin Joll, a British naval officer born in 1783, who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Rear Admiral. Another was James Joll, an English historian (1918-1994) who specialized in the study of World War I and the origins of the Second World War.

In the 19th century, the name appeared in various locations across England, with different spellings such as Joll, Jolle, and Jolls. The JOLL surname was also found in some place names, like Joll's Cottage in Buckinghamshire, reflecting its long-standing association with certain areas.

Other notable individuals with the JOLL surname include John Joll (1858-1927), a British politician and member of parliament for Burnley, and Frederick Joll (1864-1945), a British Army officer who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. Additionally, William Joll (1819-1896) was a Scottish architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in Glasgow.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Joll families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Joll surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cornwall leads with 65 Jolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.24x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 65 39.24x
Devon 42 13.79x
Yorkshire 13 0.90x
Lincolnshire 9 3.85x
Channel Islands 5 11.53x
Northamptonshire 5 3.63x
Lancashire 3 0.17x
Norfolk 3 1.33x
Gloucestershire 1 0.35x
Lanarkshire 1 0.21x
Leicestershire 1 0.62x
Surrey 1 0.14x
Sussex 1 0.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Climsland in Cornwall leads with 13 Jolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1226.42x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Climsland 13 1226.42x
Stratton 11 1222.22x
Linkinhorne 10 869.57x
Plymouth St Andrew 10 42.63x
Stoke Damerel 9 42.23x
Yealmpton 7 1489.36x
Falmouth 6 102.39x
Horncastle 6 248.96x
Ashton 5 5000.00x
Camborne 5 73.31x
Hardingstone 5 381.68x
Lezant 5 1351.35x
Sowerby In Thirsk 5 574.71x
Hennock 4 1025.64x
Hoyland Nether 4 112.36x
Morwenstow 4 975.61x
Plymouth Charles The 4 29.81x
St Helier 4 28.35x
Great Ellingham 3 909.09x
Linthorpe 3 34.68x
Poughill 3 1500.00x
St Ives 3 92.59x
Toxteth Park 3 5.10x
Bovey Tracey 2 186.92x
Bothwell 1 7.79x
Calstock 1 30.77x
Great Grimsby 1 6.73x
Kempsford 1 238.10x
Lambeth 1 0.78x
Lancing 1 147.06x
Loughborough 1 13.59x
Luxulyan 1 181.82x
St Mary Magdalene 1 81.97x
St Paul Lincoln 1 243.90x
St Saviour 1 41.67x
St Teath 1 100.00x
Tavistock 1 28.82x
Uny Lelant 1 111.11x
Yarborough 1 714.29x
York St Mary 1 16.67x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Joll surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 19
Elizabeth 7
Jane 5
Ellen 4
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Edith 2
Grace 2
Helen 2
Maria 2
Susan 2
Alberta 1
Ann 1
Bessie 1
Clara 1
Eliz.J. 1
Elizh. 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Harriett 1
Hester 1
Jessie 1
Jessy 1
Katharine 1
Kathleen 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Nellie 1
Prudance 1
Sophia 1
Sovda 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Joll surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 9
William 6
Henry 5
Richard 5
Alfred 3
Frederick 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Edward 2
James 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Wm. 2
... 1
Archibald 1
Boyd 1
C.E. 1
Charlie 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Eric 1
Fredk. 1
George 1
Guthrie 1
Hardy 1
Harry 1
Kenneth 1
Matthios 1
Nathaniel 1
Oliver 1
Robert 1
Watson 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Joll surname: questions and answers

How common was the Joll surname in 1881?

In 1881, 146 people were recorded with the Joll surname. That placed it at #15,752 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Joll surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016. That gives Joll a modern rank of #23,098.

What does the Joll surname mean?

A surname likely derived from a German variant of the given name Julian or Julien.

What does the Joll map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Joll bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.