2000
#6,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,670
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Holladay
Derived from a place name meaning "hollow day," likely referring to a holiday or festival in a hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,202 Americans carry the last name Holladay. That puts it at #7,107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holladay 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 Holladay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,889
Census rank
#7,107
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,536 bearers of the surname Holladay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holladay
The surname Holladay is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known recordings dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Holloday or Halliday in Lancashire or Yorkshire. The name is likely derived from the Old English words 'halig' meaning 'holy' and 'dæg' meaning 'day', referring to a sacred day or holiday.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Holyday, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1292. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, with the spelling 'Holyday'. These early records indicate that the name was well-established in northern England by the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name began to spread to other parts of England, and variations in spelling became more common. In the parish records of St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, the name appears as 'Holliday' in 1573. By the 17th century, the spelling 'Holladay' had emerged, as seen in the records of St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, London, where a certain John Holladay was christened in 1624.
Notable bearers of the Holladay surname include Sir Benjamin Holladay (1819-1887), an American businessman and stagecoach magnate who played a significant role in the development of transportation systems in the American West. Another prominent figure was Samuel Holladay (1733-1795), a Revolutionary War veteran and early settler of Kentucky.
In the literary world, James Holladay (1807-1876) was an American poet and writer, best known for his work 'The Oracles of God'. Robert Holladay (1904-1976) was a Scottish artist and painter, renowned for his depictions of Scottish landscapes and rural life.
The Holladay surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Holladay, Utah, a city named after John Holladay, an early settler in the area. Similarly, Holladay, Tennessee, was named after James Holladay, a prominent landowner in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holladay
Among Census respondents with the surname Holladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Holladay 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 Holladay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,159
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 150
- Two or more races3.2% · 146
- Black or African American1.0% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holladay
Holladay 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
#6,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,845
+175 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#7,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,536
-309 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,669 | 4,670 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,924 | 4,845 | 1.64 | +175 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #7,107 | 4,536 | 1.52 | -309 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 183 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 Holladay 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 | #6,924 | #7,107 | -2.6% |
| Count | 4,845 | 4,536 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.52 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holladay bearers went from 4,845 to 4,536 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,924 to #7,107.
FAQ
Holladay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holladay?
Name Census estimates that about 5,202 living Americans carry the surname Holladay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,889 residents.
How common is Holladay?
Holladay ranks #7,107 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 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 4,536 people with the surname Holladay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 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 Holladay.
Has Holladay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holladay went from 4,845 recorded bearers to 4,536. That is a decrease of 309 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,924 to #7,107.
What does the Census say about the background of Holladay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Holladay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holladay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Holladay (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 Holladay mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hollow day," likely referring to a holiday or festival in a hollow. 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 Holladay (1.52 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 have the surname Holladay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.