Jolie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland
Scotland

The ancient Norman culture that was established in England after the Conquest of 1066 produced the name of Jolie. It was given to a person originating in France, and was associated with the French Huguenots. This nickname surname originated with an early member who was a happy and lively person. But we must look to Normandy where the earliest records of the root name was found. As a variant of Jolliffe, it was found there as early as 1195 with N. Giolif. Three years later Robert Jolif was listed in a census in the same area of Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Jolie family

The surname Jolie was first found in Yorkshire where there are numerous variations of the name listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 including: Johannes Yoly, Agnes, servienes Joly Johnan, Henricus Joly; Ricardus Jolyman; Willelmus Jolyman and Johannes Jolyman. 2

This distinguished Huguenot family were granted lands firstly in Staffordshire. Many moved north into Scotland where records there show Alan and Bervy Jolly were granted lands in the county of Edinburgh in 1450. 3

As confirmation of their Huguenot origin, not all of the family moved far from the English coastline. Some stayed in Cornwall as Pencoose in the parish of St. Enoder was a seat of the family of Jolly in early years. This was afterwards purchased in the reign of Charles II. by Arthur Fortescue, Esq. 4

Early History of the Jolie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jolie research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1610, 1629, 1642, 1646, 1647, 1659, 1666, 1677, 1684, 1692, 1703, 1714, 1716, 1757 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Jolie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jolie Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Jollie, Jolley, Jolly, Jollys and others.

Early Notables of the Jolie family

Notable in the family at this time was Rev. James Jollie, senior chaplain of the Church of Scotland and chaplain of St. Andrew's Church in Madras. Thomas Jollie (1629-1703) was an English Dissenter, a minister ejected for his beliefs from the Church of England. He was "born at Droylsden, near Manchester, on 14 Sept. 1629, and baptised on 29 Sept. at Gorton Chapel, then in the parish of Manchester. His father, Major James Jollie (1610-1666), was provost-marshal general of the forces in Lancashire (1642-1647), and was nominated (2 Oct. 1646) an elder for Gorton in the first or Manchester classis in the...
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jolie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Jolie family to Ireland

Some of the Jolie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Jolie family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Jolie or a variant listed above: Francis Jolly, who settled in Virginia in 1648; John Jolly settled in Virginia in 1637; along with Joseph, Marjorie, Mary; David, George, Thomas and Edward Jolly all arrived in Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860..

Contemporary Notables of the name Jolie (post 1700) +

Jolie L Justus (b. 1971), American lawyer and politician from Missouri, Member of the Missouri Senate (2007-)
Jolie Christine Rickman (1970-2005), American feminist, humanitarian, singer-songwriter and social activist
Jolie Justus, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 2008 5

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html