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

Holiday, 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 Holiday surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Holiday in America

Holiday is the 5089th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Holiday surname appeared 6,881 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Holiday.

We can also compare 2010 data for Holiday 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 Holiday

The surname Holiday is of English origin, derived from the old English word "haligdæg," which means "holy day" or "religious feast day." This name first appeared in the late 12th century and is believed to have originated in the county of Yorkshire, England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holiday can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1200, where a person named William Halidai is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the 13th century, the surname Holiday was also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it was spelled as "Haliday." This record suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.

The name Holiday is believed to have been an occupational surname, originally referring to someone who worked on holy days or religious holidays. It may have been given to individuals who were responsible for organizing or participating in religious festivities or ceremonies.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Holiday was John Holiday, who lived in the late 14th century and was mentioned in the records of the Corpus Christi Guild in York.

During the 16th century, the Holiday surname gained prominence with the birth of Richard Holiday (1516-1570), an English Protestant minister and author. He was known for his work "The Svrvey of the World in ten Books," which was published in 1566.

Another notable figure was Samuel Holiday (1642-1715), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works, including "The Great Duty of Remembering God's Benefits" and "The Marriage Honour Unmatch'd."

In the 18th century, William Holiday (1706-1773) was a renowned English engraver and artist who produced numerous works, including illustrations for books and engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname Holiday was Billie Holiday (1915-1959), an American jazz singer and songwriter widely regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Her influential career spanned nearly three decades, and she is celebrated for her unique vocal style and emotionally powerful performances.

While the surname Holiday may have originated as an occupational name, it has since become a well-established surname in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Holiday

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

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

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

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