2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holdread
An English surname derived from old terms suggesting someone who held or guarded a ford or river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Holdread. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holdread 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Holdread in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holdread, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holdread
The surname Holdread has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "holde" meaning "hollow" and "ræd" meaning "red," likely referring to a person who lived near a red-colored valley or hollow.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a Walter Holdred is mentioned. This suggests the name was already established in the region by that time.
During the medieval period, the name was also recorded in various spellings such as Holdreed, Holdreyd, and Holdrayth, reflecting the evolving nature of English spelling and pronunciation over time.
In the 16th century, the Holdread surname can be found in records from the village of Wilbrahton, Cambridgeshire, indicating a potential area of origin for the family. A notable figure from this period was Thomas Holdread, a landowner and yeoman farmer born in 1532.
As the name spread across England, it appeared in various county records, including those of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. One prominent individual was Sir William Holdread (1645-1712), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Norwich.
In the 18th century, the Holdread family had established roots in the county of Gloucestershire, with John Holdread (1720-1798) being a respected landowner and magistrate in the town of Tewkesbury.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Holdread (1778-1842), a writer and poet from Oxfordshire who published several volumes of verse during her lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, the Holdread surname continued to be found across various regions of England, with individuals such as Robert Holdread (1845-1912), a prominent industrialist and factory owner in Birmingham.
While the surname Holdread has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has a rich heritage rooted in the English countryside, reflecting the varied landscapes and occupations of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holdread
Among Census respondents with the surname Holdread, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Holdread 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 Holdread surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holdread
Holdread appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,243 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 Holdread 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 | #148,347 | #153,590 | -3.5% |
| Count | 111 | 104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holdread bearers went from 111 to 104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #153,590.
FAQ
Holdread surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holdread?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Holdread. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Holdread?
Holdread ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Holdread. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Holdread.
Has Holdread become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holdread went from 111 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Holdread?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holdread, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Holdread in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holdread appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Holdread (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 Holdread mean?
An English surname derived from old terms suggesting someone who held or guarded a ford or river crossing. 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 Holdread (0.03 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 common is the surname Holdread?
Want to know how many people have the surname Holdread? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.