2000
#88,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Holderread
A combination surname derived from "holder" referring to someone who held lands and "read" referring to a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197 Americans carry the last name Holderread. That puts it at #109,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,739,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holderread 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.
Bearers in the US
197
1 in 1,739,870
Census rank
#109,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172 bearers of the surname Holderread in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holderread, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holderread
The surname Holderread has its origins in the rural counties of England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "holr" meaning hollow or sunken ground, and "ræd" meaning a cleared path or track. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hollow or sunken path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from the year 1196, where a person named Radulfus de Holdereed is mentioned. The spelling variations during this time included Holdrede, Holdreth, and Holdrethe.
In the 13th century, the Holderread surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record of landowners and their holdings. A notable entry from this document is Richard de Holdreth, who held lands in the village of Watlington.
During the 14th century, the name Holderread began to spread across other regions of England. In the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, a John Holdreth is listed as a taxpayer in the village of Topcliffe.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Sir William Holderread, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was born around 1320 and is believed to have died in the late 14th century.
Another notable figure was Thomas Holderread, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of Bristol in the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and played a significant role in the city's governance and trade during his lifetime.
In the 16th century, the name Holderread was found in various records across England, including the Parish Registers of Oxfordshire, where a marriage between John Holderread and Elizabeth Weston was recorded in 1589.
During the 17th century, the surname appeared in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Buckinghamshire, where a Robert Holderread was listed as a taxpayer in the village of Wendover in 1673.
One of the more prominent individuals with this surname was Sir John Holderread, a Member of Parliament for the borough of Maldon in Essex during the late 17th century. He was born in 1645 and served in the English Parliament from 1689 until his death in 1712.
As the centuries progressed, the Holderread surname continued to be found in various historical records and documents across different counties and regions of England, reflecting its enduring presence throughout the country's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holderread
Among Census respondents with the surname Holderread, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Holderread 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 Holderread surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holderread
Holderread 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
#98,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
-11 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 10,157 places
2020
#109,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
-11 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 10,483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,825 | 194 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,982 | 183 | 0.06 | -11 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 10,157 places |
| 2020 | #109,465 | 172 | 0.06 | -11 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 10,483 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 Holderread 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 | #98,982 | #109,465 | -10.6% |
| Count | 183 | 172 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holderread bearers went from 183 to 172 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 10,483 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,982 to #109,465.
FAQ
Holderread surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holderread?
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the surname Holderread. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,739,870 residents.
How common is Holderread?
Holderread ranks #109,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 172 people with the surname Holderread. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Holderread.
Has Holderread become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holderread went from 183 recorded bearers to 172. That is a decrease of 11 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #98,982 to #109,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Holderread?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holderread, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Holderread in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holderread appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Holderread (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 Holderread mean?
A combination surname derived from "holder" referring to someone who held lands and "read" referring to a place name. 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 Holderread (0.06 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 people share the surname Holderread?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.