Explore the Family Name Golly

The meaning of Golly

1. English (Cornwall): variant of Gulley. 2. German: variant of Gohl, or in the south of Goll. 3. Germanized or Americanized form of Sorbian Góły and Polish Goły: nickname for a bald man, from Lower Sorbian góły, Polish goły ‘bald’. Some characteristic forenames: German Berthold, Gerd.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Golly in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Golly has seen a decrease in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Golly was ranked 51,809th in terms of popular surnames, but by 2010 it had dropped to 57,639th, reflecting an 11.25% decrease. The count of individuals with the Golly surname also declined from 377 in 2000 to 353 in 2010, marking a 6.37% decrease. Its representation per 100,000 people also went down by 14.29%, from 0.14 to 0.12.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#51,809	#57,639	-11.25%
Count	377	353	-6.37%
Proportion per 100k	0.14	0.12	-14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Golly

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Golly, as presented by data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has also shifted over the same decade. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the Golly surname identified as White (88.86%), followed by Black (6.10%), and those identifying as having two or more races (2.92%). By 2010, the percentage of individuals identifying as White increased slightly to 91.22% while the percentages for Black and individuals with two or more races decreased to 4.82% and 1.98% respectively. Notably, no individuals with the Golly surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	88.86%	91.22%	2.66%
Black	6.1%	4.82%	-20.98%
Two or More Races	2.92%	1.98%	-32.19%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.33%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%