2000
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Holle
Derived from the Middle High German word "hol," meaning "hollow" or "depression," likely referring to a person's dwelling place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,107 Americans carry the last name Holle. That puts it at #15,375 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holle 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
2.1K
1 in 162,674
Census rank
#15,375
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,837 bearers of the surname Holle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15375th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holle
The surname Holle is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "hol," which means "hollow" or "cavity." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive name for someone who lived in a hollow or valley.
In the Middle Ages, many surnames were derived from geographic features or locations, and Holle is no exception. The name was prevalent in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. Early variations of the spelling included "Holle," "Hollen," and "Holln."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holle can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The document mentions a person named "Henricus Holle" in the year 1285.
Another notable historical figure bearing the surname Holle was Johann Holle, a German theologian and Protestant reformer who lived from 1490 to 1552. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Reformation movement.
In the 16th century, the name Holle appeared in the Hessen region of Germany, where a village named Hollenberg was established. This place name may have been derived from the surname Holle, indicating a connection between the name and a specific geographic location.
During the 17th century, a prominent figure named Johann Holle (1602-1667) was a German mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is known for his work on calculating the orbits of comets.
In the 18th century, Johann Holle (1724-1805) was a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement and wrote extensively on topics such as natural theology and moral philosophy.
Another notable bearer of the surname Holle was Friedrich Holle (1767-1844), a German writer and translator. He is best known for his translations of works by English authors, including William Shakespeare and Samuel Richardson.
While the surname Holle has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its historical roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the German regions and the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holle
Among Census respondents with the surname Holle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Holle 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 Holle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 1,734
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 35
- Two or more races1.6% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 23
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holle
Holle 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
#14,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,090
+51 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 668 places
2020
#15,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,837
-253 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,059 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,648 | 2,039 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,316 | 2,090 | 0.71 | +51 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 668 places |
| 2020 | #15,375 | 1,837 | 0.61 | -253 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 1,059 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 Holle 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 | #14,316 | #15,375 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,090 | 1,837 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.61 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holle bearers went from 2,090 to 1,837 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 1,059 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,316 to #15,375.
FAQ
Holle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,107 living Americans carry the surname Holle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,674 residents.
How common is Holle?
Holle ranks #15,375 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,837 people with the surname Holle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,107), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Holle.
Has Holle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holle went from 2,090 recorded bearers to 1,837. That is a decrease of 253 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,316 to #15,375.
What does the Census say about the background of Holle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holle, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Holle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (1,734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Holle (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 Holle mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "hol," meaning "hollow" or "depression," likely referring to a person's dwelling 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 Holle (0.61 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 Holle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.