2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Hollback
A habitational name derived from a hollowed-out or sunken place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Hollback. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollback 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Hollback in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollback, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollback
The surname HOLLBACK is of German origin, stemming from the early medieval period around the 8th to 10th centuries. It is derived from the Old High German words "hol" meaning "hollow" or "valley" and "bach" meaning "stream" or "brook." The name likely originated in the regions of present-day southwestern Germany, where many valleys and streams were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HOLLBACK name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former Principality of Anhalt in central Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name is mentioned in reference to a landowner named Helmut HOLLBACK in the year 1186.
In the 13th century, the HOLLBACK name can be found in the Annales Xantenses, a chronicle from the city of Xanten in the Lower Rhine region of Germany. The record mentions a priest named Heinrich HOLLBACK who served in the local parish in 1247.
During the 16th century, the HOLLBACK name was associated with a prominent family of scholars and theologians. Johannes HOLLBACK (1492-1568) was a renowned German humanist and reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the HOLLBACK surname was Hans HOLLBACK (1611-1678), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and castles in the Baroque style across southern Germany and Austria.
Another notable individual was Elise HOLLBACK (1822-1891), a German writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education during the 19th century. Her works included novels, short stories, and essays that explored the societal challenges faced by women at the time.
Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the HOLLBACK surname have been observed, such as HOLBACH, HOLLBECK, and HOLLBEECK, often reflecting regional dialects or scribal variations in record-keeping.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollback
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollback, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollback 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 Hollback surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollback
Hollback appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 6,220 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 Hollback 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 | #160,975 | #154,755 | 3.9% |
| Count | 100 | 102 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollback bearers went from 100 to 102 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 6,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,755.
FAQ
Hollback surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollback?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Hollback. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Hollback?
Hollback ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Hollback. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hollback.
Has Hollback become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollback went from 100 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollback?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollback, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Hollback in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollback appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Hollback (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 Hollback mean?
A habitational name derived from a hollowed-out or sunken place. 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 Hollback (0.03 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 Hollback?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.