2000
#10,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,936
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Holleman
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone from a low-lying or hollow piece of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,260 Americans carry the last name Holleman. That puts it at #10,727 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holleman 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
3.3K
1 in 105,139
Census rank
#10,727
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,843 bearers of the surname Holleman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10727th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holleman
The surname Holleman is of Dutch origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the regions of Holland and Zeeland in the Netherlands, where it was initially derived from the Dutch word "hol" meaning "hollow" or "hole." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with people who lived or worked near hollows, caves, or underground dwellings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Rotterdam archives from the 15th century, where a certain Gheerd Holleman was mentioned as a resident of the city. Another early reference is in the Leiden court records from the late 16th century, which document a legal dispute involving a Cornelis Holleman.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various Dutch provincial records, including the Drenthe archives, where a Joannes Holleman was listed as a landowner in the town of Emmen. During this time, the name also began to appear in its alternative spelling variations, such as Hollemann and Holleman.
Notable historical figures bearing the Holleman surname include:
1. Willem Holleman (1611-1683), a Dutch merchant and trader who established trade routes with the East Indies.
2. Jacob Holleman (1718-1788), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and still-life works.
3. Gerrit Holleman (1793-1878), a Dutch politician who served as a member of the Eerste Kamer, the upper house of the Dutch parliament.
4. Henriëtte Holleman-Van der Veer (1834-1899), a Dutch feminist and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education.
5. Pieter Holleman (1865-1937), a renowned Dutch chemist and professor at the University of Leiden, known for his contributions to organic chemistry.
As the Dutch empire expanded and its people migrated to other parts of the world, the Holleman surname spread to various regions, including South Africa, Indonesia, and the Americas. However, the name remained predominantly concentrated in the Netherlands, where it continues to be a well-established family name to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holleman
Among Census respondents with the surname Holleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Holleman 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 Holleman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 2,412
- Black or African American7.0% · 199
- Two or more races3.4% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holleman
Holleman 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
#9,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,430
+494 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 623 places
2020
#10,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,843
-587 bearers (-17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 1,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,107 | 2,936 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,484 | 3,430 | 1.16 | +494 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 623 places |
| 2020 | #10,727 | 2,843 | 0.95 | -587 bearers (-17.1%) | Down 1,243 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 Holleman 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 | #9,484 | #10,727 | -13.1% |
| Count | 3,430 | 2,843 | -17.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 0.95 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holleman bearers went from 3,430 to 2,843 (-17.1% change). The surname moved down 1,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,484 to #10,727.
FAQ
Holleman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holleman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,260 living Americans carry the surname Holleman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,139 residents.
How common is Holleman?
Holleman ranks #10,727 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,843 people with the surname Holleman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Holleman.
Has Holleman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holleman went from 3,430 recorded bearers to 2,843. That is a decrease of 587 (-17.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,484 to #10,727.
What does the Census say about the background of Holleman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Holleman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (2,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holleman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Holleman (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 Holleman mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname indicating someone from a low-lying or hollow piece of land. 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 Holleman (0.95 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 Holleman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.