2000
#7,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Holifield
Likely derived from a place name meaning "holly field," referring to a field where holly trees grow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,783 Americans carry the last name Holifield. That puts it at #7,651 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holifield 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 Holifield with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,661
Census rank
#7,651
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,171 bearers of the surname Holifield in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7651st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holifield, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holifield
Among Census respondents with the surname Holifield, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Holifield 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 Holifield surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.7% · 2,656
- Black or African American28.3% · 1,182
- Two or more races4.4% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holifield
Holifield 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
#8,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,104
+25 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 554 places
2020
#7,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,171
+67 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Up 425 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,522 | 4,079 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,076 | 4,104 | 1.39 | +25 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 554 places |
| 2020 | #7,651 | 4,171 | 1.40 | +67 bearers (+1.6%) | Up 425 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 Holifield 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 | #8,076 | #7,651 | 5.3% |
| Count | 4,104 | 4,171 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.40 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holifield bearers went from 4,104 to 4,171 (+1.6% change). The surname moved up 425 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,076 to #7,651.
FAQ
Holifield surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holifield?
Name Census estimates that about 4,783 living Americans carry the surname Holifield. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,661 residents.
How common is Holifield?
Holifield ranks #7,651 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 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 4,171 people with the surname Holifield. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 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 Holifield.
Has Holifield become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holifield went from 4,104 recorded bearers to 4,171. That is an increase of 67 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,076 to #7,651.
What does the Census say about the background of Holifield?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holifield, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Holifield in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (2,656 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holifield appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.7%), Black (28.3%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Holifield (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 Holifield mean?
Likely derived from a place name meaning "holly field," referring to a field where holly trees grow. 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 Holifield (1.40 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 Holifield?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.