2000
#13,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Hole
A topographical surname referring to someone who lived in a small valley or hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,929 Americans carry the last name Hole. That puts it at #16,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 177,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hole 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 Hole with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 177,685
Census rank
#16,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,682 bearers of the surname Hole in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hole, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hole
The surname HOLE originated in England and dates back to the mid-12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hol," which means a hole, hollow, or cave. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a hole or cave, or perhaps someone who worked as a maker of holes or hollows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HOLE appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where a William Hole is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to individuals with the surname HOLE, such as Robert Hole of Oxfordshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname HOLE was found in various parts of England, including Wiltshire, Somerset, and Devon. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list several individuals with this surname, such as John Hole of Somerset and Thomas Hole of Devon.
In the 15th century, the surname HOLE was also found in the Visitations of Norfolk, where a coat of arms was recorded for the HOLE family. This suggests that some branches of the family had achieved a certain level of status and prominence by this time.
Notable individuals throughout history with the surname HOLE include:
1. Sir John Hole (1470-1538), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London.
2. Reverend Matthew Hole (1614-1697), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Exeter College, Oxford.
3. Richard Hole (1746-1803), an English composer and organist who worked at the Chapel Royal.
4. William Hole (1806-1888), an English geologist and botanist known for his work on the flora of the Isle of Wight.
5. Samuel Hole (1819-1904), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Dean of Rochester Cathedral.
The surname HOLE can also be found in various place names across England, such as Hole Farm in Somerset, Hole Cottage in Devon, and Hole Bottom in Wiltshire. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and the Old English word "hol."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hole
Among Census respondents with the surname Hole, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hole 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 Hole surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,510
- Two or more races3.4% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 44
- Black or African American1.1% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hole
Hole 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
#16,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,794
-192 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 2,199 places
2020
#16,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,682
-112 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,931 | 1,986 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,130 | 1,794 | 0.61 | -192 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 2,199 places |
| 2020 | #16,566 | 1,682 | 0.56 | -112 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 436 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 Hole 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 | #16,130 | #16,566 | -2.7% |
| Count | 1,794 | 1,682 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.56 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hole bearers went from 1,794 to 1,682 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,130 to #16,566.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hole
FAQ
Hole surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hole?
Name Census estimates that about 1,929 living Americans carry the surname Hole. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 177,685 residents.
How common is Hole?
Hole ranks #16,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,682 people with the surname Hole. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hole.
Has Hole become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hole went from 1,794 recorded bearers to 1,682. That is a decrease of 112 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,130 to #16,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Hole?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hole, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hole in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,510 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hole appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hole (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 Hole mean?
A topographical surname referring to someone who lived in a small valley or 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 Hole (0.56 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 Hole?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.