Find out how popular the last name Holbert is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Holbert.

Holbert, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Holbert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Holbert in America

Holbert is the 5179th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Holbert surname appeared 6,746 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Holbert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Holbert to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Holbert

The surname Holbert is believed to have originated in the medieval period in the region of Franconia, which is now part of modern-day Germany. It is derived from the Old German personal name Holtbrecht, which combines the elements "holz" meaning "wood" and "berht" meaning "bright" or "illustrious". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a wooded area or had some connection to forestry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. The name is mentioned in the form "Holtbrecht" in a document from 1187.

In England, the surname Holbert can be traced back to the 13th century, with the earliest known bearer being Robert de Holberd, who is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1254. The variant spelling "Holberd" likely arose due to the influence of the Norman-French pronunciation of the name.

Noteworthy individuals with the surname Holbert include John Holbert (1520-1598), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Bristol in the late 16th century. Another notable bearer was Thomas Holbert (1625-1672), a Dutch merchant and explorer who voyaged to the East Indies and is credited with being one of the first Europeans to visit the island of Sumatra.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of William Holbert, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and is mentioned in military records from 1776. Another prominent American with this surname was Samuel Holbert (1784-1866), a pioneer and frontiersman who helped establish settlements in the territories of Indiana and Illinois.

Other notable individuals with the Holbert surname include the English novelist and playwright Thomas Holbert (1805-1891), known for his works exploring themes of social injustice and poverty. In more recent times, the American artist and sculptor Robert Holbert (1917-2000) gained recognition for his abstract expressionist works and public art installations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Holbert

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Holbert.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Holbert was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Holbert has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Holbert was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Holbert, please contact us.

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