2000
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Hollen
A habitational surname derived from any of various places named Hollen, likely referring to a holly tree or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,095 Americans carry the last name Hollen. That puts it at #15,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollen 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 Hollen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,606
Census rank
#15,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,827 bearers of the surname Hollen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollen
The surname Hollen is believed to have originated in Germany, where it is thought to have derived from the old German word "holl," meaning "hollow" or "depression." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a hollow or low-lying area.
The earliest known records of the name date back to the 13th century, with mentions found in various historical documents and records from that time period. One notable example is a reference to a person named Hollen in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany.
In the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring countries like the Netherlands and Denmark. This is evidenced by records from that era, such as the Stadtbuch von Braunschweig, a chronicle of the city of Braunschweig, which mentions an individual named Hollen.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hollen was Johannes Hollen, a German scholar and priest who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his writings on theology and philosophy.
Another notable figure was Hans Hollen, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, which often depicted religious and mythological scenes.
In the 17th century, the name Hollen appears in Dutch records, such as the Oud Rechterlijk Archief van de Stad Utrecht, which mentions a person named Pieter Hollen. This suggests that the name had spread to the Netherlands by that time.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Hollen was Johann Hollen, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque style of music.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Hollen, a German philosopher and writer who lived in the 19th century. He was a prominent figure in the German Romantic movement and wrote extensively on topics related to aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollen
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollen 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 Hollen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,653
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 52
- Two or more races2.8% · 52
- Black or African American2.2% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollen
Hollen 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
#12,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,477
+416 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 1,008 places
2020
#15,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,827
-650 bearers (-26.2%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 2,934 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,522 | 2,061 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,514 | 2,477 | 0.84 | +416 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 1,008 places |
| 2020 | #15,448 | 1,827 | 0.61 | -650 bearers (-26.2%) | Down 2,934 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 Hollen 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 | #12,514 | #15,448 | -23.4% |
| Count | 2,477 | 1,827 | -26.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.61 | -27.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollen bearers went from 2,477 to 1,827 (-26.2% change). The surname moved down 2,934 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,514 to #15,448.
FAQ
Hollen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,095 living Americans carry the surname Hollen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,606 residents.
How common is Hollen?
Hollen ranks #15,448 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 1,827 people with the surname Hollen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,095), 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 Hollen.
Has Hollen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollen went from 2,477 recorded bearers to 1,827. That is a decrease of 650 (-26.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,514 to #15,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Hollen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Hollen (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 Hollen mean?
A habitational surname derived from any of various places named Hollen, likely referring to a holly tree or grove. 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 Hollen (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 share the surname Hollen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.