2000
#2,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.83
Uncommon Last name
Holguin
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Holguín, derived from Basque.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,141 Americans carry the last name Holguin. That puts it at #2,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,894 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holguin 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
18K
1 in 18,894
Census rank
#2,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,820 bearers of the surname Holguin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holguin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holguin
The surname Holguin has its origins in Spain, and is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Spanish place name "Holguin," which is located in the northern region of Spain, within the modern-day province of Asturias.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Holguin can be found in the "Becerro de las Behetrías," a historical document compiled in the 14th century that cataloged the noble families and landowners of the Kingdom of Castile. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname Holguin, indicating that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
The name Holguin is thought to have originated from the Asturian word "holgu," which means "valley" or "hollow," suggesting that the surname may have initially been given to individuals who lived in or were associated with a particular valley or hollow area within the region.
In the 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Americas, several individuals bearing the surname Holguin accompanied the expeditions and helped establish settlements in the New World. One notable figure from this period was Juan de Holguin, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.
Another prominent figure with the surname Holguin was Alonso de Holguin, a Jesuit missionary who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries. He was known for his work translating and interpreting the Quechua language, and his contributions helped bridge the gap between the Spanish colonizers and the indigenous populations of Peru.
In the realm of literature, Pedro de Holguin, a Spanish playwright and poet from the 17th century, is notable for his works, which included plays and poetic compositions that reflected the cultural and societal norms of his time.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Emilio Holguin was a renowned Colombian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Colombia in the late 1800s. He played a significant role in shaping Colombia's international relations during that period.
Another notable bearer of the surname Holguin was the Mexican painter and muralist José Clemente Holguin, who lived from 1888 to 1945. His works, which often depicted scenes of Mexican rural life and indigenous cultures, were influential in the Mexican muralist movement of the early 20th century.
Throughout history, the surname Holguin has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, missionaries, writers, politicians, and artists, each leaving their mark on the cultural and historical landscapes of their respective regions and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holguin
Among Census respondents with the surname Holguin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holguin 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 Holguin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 14,394
- White7.2% · 1,138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 113
- Two or more races0.4% · 65
- Black or African American0.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holguin
Holguin 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
#2,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,090
+3,051 bearers (+23.4%)
Per 100,000 5.45
Rank movement Up 286 places
2020
#2,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,820
-270 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 5.29
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,546 | 13,039 | 4.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,260 | 16,090 | 5.45 | +3,051 bearers (+23.4%) | Up 286 places |
| 2020 | #2,240 | 15,820 | 5.29 | -270 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 20 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 Holguin 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 | #2,260 | #2,240 | 0.9% |
| Count | 16,090 | 15,820 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.45 | 5.29 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holguin bearers went from 16,090 to 15,820 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,260 to #2,240.
FAQ
Holguin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holguin?
Name Census estimates that about 18,141 living Americans carry the surname Holguin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,894 residents.
How common is Holguin?
Holguin ranks #2,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,820 people with the surname Holguin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,141), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Holguin.
Has Holguin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holguin went from 16,090 recorded bearers to 15,820. That is a decrease of 270 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,260 to #2,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Holguin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holguin, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Holguin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (14,394 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holguin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (7.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). 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 Holguin (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 Holguin mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Holguín, derived from Basque. 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 Holguin (5.29 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 Holguin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.