Hollee
A feminine variant of the name Holly, derived from the holly tree.
Name Census estimates that about 700 living Americans carry the first name Hollee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hollee today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hollee births was 1989 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hollee. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
700
~ 1 in 489,649 Americans
Peak year
1989
27 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,057
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Hollee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hollee from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 178 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hollee by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hollee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hollees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hollee
The name Hollee is believed to have originated from the Old English word "holih," which means "holy" or "sacred." It is a feminine form of the name Holly, which was derived from the holly plant, a shrub that was considered sacred by the ancient Druids and was used in various pagan rituals and ceremonies.
The earliest recorded use of the name Hollee dates back to the 12th century, when it was used as a variant spelling of Holly. During the Middle Ages, the name was popular among English and Scottish families, particularly in rural areas where the holly plant was abundant.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Hollee was Hollee of Huntingdon, a 13th-century English noblewoman who was known for her philanthropic work and her support for the construction of several churches and monasteries in the county of Huntingdonshire.
In the 16th century, the name Hollee gained popularity among Puritan families in England and New England, who saw it as a symbol of purity and righteousness. One notable bearer of the name was Hollee Winthrop, the daughter of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was born in 1631 and played an influential role in the early development of the colony.
During the Victorian era, the name Hollee became fashionable among the upper classes in Britain and the United States. One famous bearer of the name was Hollee Nightingale (1820-1910), the pioneering English nurse who is widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing. Her work during the Crimean War and her efforts to improve healthcare standards earned her widespread admiration and respect.
In the 20th century, the name Hollee continued to be popular, particularly in the United States. One notable bearer was Hollee Berry (born 1966), the American actress and former fashion model who became the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 2001 film "Monster's Ball."
Other notable figures with the name Hollee include Hollee Hunter (born 1958), the American actress known for her roles in films such as "The Piano" and "The Firm"; Hollee Golightly (1929-2015), the American singer and actress who starred in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's"; and Hollee Madison (born 1979), the American model and television personality who was one of the stars of the reality TV series "The Girls Next Door."
People
Hollee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hollee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hollee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hollee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 700 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hollee going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 489,649 US residents.
Is Hollee a common name?
We classify Hollee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 743 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hollee most popular?
The single biggest year for Hollee was 1989, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hollee is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hollee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hollee in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.