2000
#4,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.41
Rare Last name
Holiday
Derived from the Old English word hāligdæg, referring to a holy day or religious festival.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,467 Americans carry the last name Holiday. That puts it at #5,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holiday 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 Holiday with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,903
Census rank
#5,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,512 bearers of the surname Holiday in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holiday, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.4%. The next largest groups are White (35.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (9.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holiday
Among Census respondents with the surname Holiday, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.4%. The next largest groups are White (35.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (9.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Holiday 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 Holiday surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.4% · 3,084
- White35.0% · 2,280
- American Indian and Alaska Native9.0% · 583
- Two or more races5.1% · 335
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holiday
Holiday 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
#5,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,881
+390 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#5,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,512
-369 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,968 | 6,491 | 2.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,089 | 6,881 | 2.33 | +390 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #5,182 | 6,512 | 2.18 | -369 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 93 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 Holiday 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 | #5,089 | #5,182 | -1.8% |
| Count | 6,881 | 6,512 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.18 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holiday bearers went from 6,881 to 6,512 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,089 to #5,182.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holiday
FAQ
Holiday surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holiday?
Name Census estimates that about 7,467 living Americans carry the surname Holiday. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,903 residents.
How common is Holiday?
Holiday ranks #5,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,512 people with the surname Holiday. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Holiday.
Has Holiday become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holiday went from 6,881 recorded bearers to 6,512. That is a decrease of 369 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,089 to #5,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Holiday?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holiday, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.4%. The next largest groups are White (35.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (9.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Holiday in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.4% (3,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holiday appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.4%), White (35.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (9.0%). 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 Holiday (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 Holiday mean?
Derived from the Old English word hāligdæg, referring to a holy day or religious festival. 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 Holiday (2.18 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 Holiday?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.