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

Holder, 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 Holder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Holder in America

Holder is the 1040th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Holder surname appeared 33,465 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Holder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Holder 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 Holder

The surname HOLDER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "healdere," meaning "one who holds" or "keeps." It likely emerged as an occupational surname for someone who held a position of responsibility, such as a bailiff, steward, or estate manager.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century, with the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mentioning a Reginald le Holdere in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also list a John le Holder.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Holdere, Holdare, and Holdor, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Pipe Rolls of 1381 record a John Holder in Gloucestershire.

During the Middle Ages, the surname was often associated with manorial estates and landholdings. In the 15th century, the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk mentioned a John Holder, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire listed a Thomas Holder in 1524.

Notable individuals with the surname HOLDER include Sir John Holder (1616-1695), an English merchant and landowner in Barbados, who played a significant role in the establishment of the British sugar industry in the Caribbean. William Holder (1616-1698) was a renowned English musician, composer, and writer on music theory.

In the 18th century, Christopher Holder (1701-1759) was a prominent English Quaker minister and author, while Charles Holder (1770-1853) was a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor of Grenada.

The 19th century saw the rise of James Holder (1808-1904), a British engineer and inventor who developed important improvements in the design and construction of steam engines and locomotives.

Throughout its history, the surname HOLDER has been associated with various occupations, from landowners and estate managers to merchants, soldiers, and inventors, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and roles of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Holder

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

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 Holder 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 Holder 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 Holder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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