2000
#1,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.64
Uncommon Last name
Holbrook
From the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow and "broc" meaning stream, referring to someone living near a stream in a hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,493 Americans carry the last name Holbrook. That puts it at #1,507 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holbrook surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Holbrook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 12,938
Census rank
#1,507
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,103 bearers of the surname Holbrook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1507th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holbrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holbrook
The surname Holbrook is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words 'hol' meaning 'hollow' and 'broc' meaning 'brook'. It was initially a topographic name for someone who lived near a brook or stream that flowed through a hollow or valley.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Aluric de Holbrook, who was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror.
The Holbrook surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where numerous places with names containing the elements 'hol' and 'broc' were located. Examples include Holbrook in Derbyshire, Holbrook in Oxfordshire, and Holbeck in West Yorkshire.
Notable individuals with the Holbrook surname throughout history include Sir John Holbrook (c. 1520-1578), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in 1553. Another prominent figure was Samuel Holbrook (1652-1709), a British theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Holbrook name gained prominence in the American colonies, with several families settling in New England and other regions. One of the earliest Holbrook settlers was Thomas Holbrook, who arrived in Massachusetts from England in 1635.
Other notable individuals with the Holbrook surname include John Edwards Holbrook (1794-1871), an American naturalist and author known for his work on herpetology, and Josiah Holbrook (1788-1854), an American educator and founder of the first traveling educational program in the United States.
In more recent times, the Holbrook name has been associated with several notable figures, such as Hal Holbrook (1925-2021), an American actor best known for his portrayal of Mark Twain, and Ralph Holbrook (1892-1976), an American attorney and conservationist who played a key role in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holbrook
Among Census respondents with the surname Holbrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Holbrook bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Holbrook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 20,474
- Black or African American4.1% · 955
- Two or more races3.4% · 787
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 631
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 124
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holbrook
Holbrook appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,843
+526 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 8.08
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#1,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,103
-740 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 7.73
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,392 | 23,317 | 8.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,502 | 23,843 | 8.08 | +526 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #1,507 | 23,103 | 7.73 | -740 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 5 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Holbrook surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,502 | #1,507 | -0.3% |
| Count | 23,843 | 23,103 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 8.08 | 7.73 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holbrook bearers went from 23,843 to 23,103 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,502 to #1,507.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holbrook
FAQ
Holbrook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holbrook?
Name Census estimates that about 26,493 living Americans carry the surname Holbrook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,938 residents.
How common is Holbrook?
Holbrook ranks #1,507 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,103 people with the surname Holbrook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Holbrook.
Has Holbrook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holbrook went from 23,843 recorded bearers to 23,103. That is a decrease of 740 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,502 to #1,507.
What does the Census say about the background of Holbrook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holbrook, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Holbrook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (20,474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holbrook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Black (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Holbrook (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Holbrook mean?
From the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow and "broc" meaning stream, referring to someone living near a stream in a hollow. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Holbrook (7.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Holbrook?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.