2000
#10,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Hollaway
Derived from a place name meaning "hollow way," referring to a sunken path or road.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,725 Americans carry the last name Hollaway. That puts it at #12,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollaway 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 Hollaway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,781
Census rank
#12,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,376 bearers of the surname Hollaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollaway
The surname Hollaway is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a habitational name derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning a hollow or sunken place, and "weg" meaning a road or way. Thus, the name refers to someone who lived near a sunken road or hollow way.
The name was first recorded in Oxfordshire, where it appeared as "de la Hollewey" in the Pipe Rolls of 1230. This early spelling suggests that the name originated from a specific place name, likely a hollow way or sunken road in that county.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name is listed as "Holeway" in Bedfordshire, indicating its spread across different regions of England during the medieval period. The variant spelling "Holloway" can be found in various records from the 14th century onwards.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Holloway, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another notable bearer was Richard Holloway, a prominent merchant from Bristol, who lived in the late 15th century.
During the 16th century, the name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, as evidenced by numerous parish records and wills from that period.
A famous figure was Robert Holloway, a renowned English clergyman and scholar who lived from 1533 to 1599. He served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and was renowned for his writings on theology and philosophy.
Another notable individual was James Holloway, born in 1670, who was a successful businessman and landowner in Gloucestershire. He was involved in various philanthropic endeavors and contributed significantly to the development of his local community.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Holloway, born in 1729, was a prominent English physician and author. He published several influential works on medicine and medical education, and was a fellow of the Royal Society.
The Hollaway surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Holloway in London, which derives its name from the Old English "hol weg," meaning a hollow way or sunken road. Similarly, there are villages and hamlets named Holloway or Holloway's in various counties, reflecting the geographical origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollaway 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 Hollaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 1,688
- Black or African American20.2% · 480
- Two or more races4.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollaway
Hollaway 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
#9,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,320
+369 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 311 places
2020
#12,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,376
-944 bearers (-28.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 2,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,072 | 2,951 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,761 | 3,320 | 1.13 | +369 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 311 places |
| 2020 | #12,466 | 2,376 | 0.79 | -944 bearers (-28.4%) | Down 2,705 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 Hollaway 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 | #9,761 | #12,466 | -27.7% |
| Count | 3,320 | 2,376 | -28.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 0.79 | -29.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollaway bearers went from 3,320 to 2,376 (-28.4% change). The surname moved down 2,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,761 to #12,466.
FAQ
Hollaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollaway?
Name Census estimates that about 2,725 living Americans carry the surname Hollaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,781 residents.
How common is Hollaway?
Hollaway ranks #12,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,376 people with the surname Hollaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,725), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Hollaway.
Has Hollaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollaway went from 3,320 recorded bearers to 2,376. That is a decrease of 944 (-28.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,761 to #12,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hollaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (1,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hollaway (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 Hollaway mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hollow way," referring to a sunken path or road. 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 Hollaway (0.79 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 common is the surname Hollaway?
Want to know how common the surname Hollaway is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.