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

Holifield, 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 Holifield surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Holifield in America

Holifield is the 8076th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Holifield surname appeared 4,104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Holifield.

We can also compare 2010 data for Holifield 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 Holifield

The surname Holifield originated in England, specifically in the region of Yorkshire, during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning "hollow" or "hollow place" and "feld" meaning "field." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or owned land containing a hollow or low-lying field.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holifield can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which lists a "Willelmus de Holifeld." This document provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 14th century in the region.

The Holifield surname also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, the Parish Register of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, contains entries for the baptism of "Elizabeth Holifeld" in 1588 and the marriage of "John Holifeld" in 1624.

Among the notable individuals bearing the Holifield surname throughout history is Sir William Holifield (1582-1648), a member of the English gentry who served as a Justice of the Peace and High Sheriff of Yorkshire during the reign of King Charles I.

Another prominent figure was Robert Holifield (1712-1785), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Derbyshire, who donated a significant portion of his estate to establish the Holifield School for underprivileged children.

In the 19th century, Emily Holifield (1835-1911) gained recognition as a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded the Holifield Academy for Girls in London, which became renowned for its progressive curriculum and emphasis on academic excellence.

The name Holifield also has ties to the town of Holifield in West Yorkshire, which likely derived its name from the Old English words "hol" and "feld," similar to the surname itself. This place name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which records it as "Holefelde."

Lastly, it is worth mentioning John Holifield (1897-1972), a prominent British artist and sculptor whose works were widely exhibited in galleries across Europe and the United States during the mid-20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Holifield

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

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

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

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