2000
#6,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Holler
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to an elder or judge, or someone who calls out.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,956 Americans carry the last name Holler. That puts it at #7,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holler 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 Holler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,159
Census rank
#7,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,322 bearers of the surname Holler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holler
The surname "HOLLER" is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "holler," meaning "hollow" or "valley." This name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century and was initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived in or near a valley or hollow.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central parts of the country. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name include Johannes Holler, who was mentioned in records from the city of Nuremberg in 1335, and Heinrich Holler, a resident of the town of Erfurt in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name Holler appeared in various German chronicles and manuscripts, such as the "Liber Antiquissimus" of the city of Regensburg, which listed several individuals with this surname. One notable example was Ulrich Holler, a merchant who lived in Regensburg during the late 15th century.
As the name spread throughout different regions of Germany, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Holer, Höllar, and Holler. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Holler. One of the earliest was Johann Baptist Holler (1642-1726), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg. Another notable figure was Johann Holler (1645-1699), a German architect and military engineer responsible for designing several fortifications and buildings in Bavaria.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence through individuals like Johann Holler (1811-1880), a German philosopher and theologian known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy. Georg Holler (1861-1925) was a German painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations of traditional German life.
The surname Holler has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Hollermühle, a small town in Bavaria, and Hollerbach, a municipality in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely derived their origins from individuals with the surname Holler who settled in or were associated with these locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holler
Among Census respondents with the surname Holler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Holler 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 Holler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 3,894
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 195
- Two or more races3.5% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holler
Holler 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
#6,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,836
+57 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 391 places
2020
#7,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,322
-514 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,542 | 4,779 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,933 | 4,836 | 1.64 | +57 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 391 places |
| 2020 | #7,432 | 4,322 | 1.45 | -514 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 499 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 Holler 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 | #6,933 | #7,432 | -7.2% |
| Count | 4,836 | 4,322 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.45 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holler bearers went from 4,836 to 4,322 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 499 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,933 to #7,432.
FAQ
Holler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,956 living Americans carry the surname Holler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,159 residents.
How common is Holler?
Holler ranks #7,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,322 people with the surname Holler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,956), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Holler.
Has Holler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holler went from 4,836 recorded bearers to 4,322. That is a decrease of 514 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,933 to #7,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Holler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holler, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Holler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (3,894 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Holler (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 Holler mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to an elder or judge, or someone who calls out. 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 Holler (1.45 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 Holler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.