2000
#7,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Hollar
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived in or near a hollow or low-lying area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,187 Americans carry the last name Hollar. That puts it at #8,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,862 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollar 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.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,862
Census rank
#8,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,651 bearers of the surname Hollar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollar
The surname Hollar has its origins in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have been derived from the Old German word "Holle," which referred to a hollow or depression in the landscape. This name likely originated as a descriptive term for people who lived in or near such a geographic feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the Hollar surname was already established by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts across different regions of Germany, including the Bavarian town of Hollar, which may have contributed to the name's popularity in that area.
One notable figure with this surname was Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677), a Bohemian etcher and engraver who achieved significant recognition for his detailed cityscapes and topographical views. His works provide valuable insights into the architectural and cultural landscapes of 17th-century Europe.
Another prominent individual was Johann Hollar (1630-1696), a German composer and organist who served as the court Kapellmeister in Weimar and later in Coburg. His contributions to the development of the Baroque style in church music were highly influential.
In the 18th century, Johann Hollar (1768-1846), a German painter and illustrator, gained recognition for his detailed botanical illustrations and landscapes. His works are held in various museum collections across Europe.
The name Hollar also appeared in the records of the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been present in England during the Norman conquest.
Additionally, the surname Hollar has been associated with the town of Hollern in Lower Saxony, Germany, which was mentioned in historical records dating back to the 11th century. The town's name may have been derived from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and geographic features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollar
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollar 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 Hollar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 3,357
- Two or more races3.7% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 86
- Black or African American1.2% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollar
Hollar 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
#8,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,976
-68 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 749 places
2020
#8,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,651
-325 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,583 | 4,044 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,332 | 3,976 | 1.35 | -68 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 749 places |
| 2020 | #8,628 | 3,651 | 1.22 | -325 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 296 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 Hollar 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 | #8,332 | #8,628 | -3.6% |
| Count | 3,976 | 3,651 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.22 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollar bearers went from 3,976 to 3,651 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 296 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,332 to #8,628.
FAQ
Hollar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollar?
Name Census estimates that about 4,187 living Americans carry the surname Hollar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,862 residents.
How common is Hollar?
Hollar ranks #8,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,651 people with the surname Hollar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,187), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Hollar.
Has Hollar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollar went from 3,976 recorded bearers to 3,651. That is a decrease of 325 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,332 to #8,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollar, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Hollar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (3,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Hollar (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 Hollar mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived in or near a hollow or low-lying area. 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 Hollar (1.22 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 Hollar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.