2000
#1,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.83
Uncommon Last name
Holley
Derived from a place name meaning "holly wood or clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,164 Americans carry the last name Holley. That puts it at #1,192 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,335 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holley 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 Holley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,335
Census rank
#1,192
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,921 bearers of the surname Holley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1192nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holley, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holley
The surname Holley has its origins in England, and it is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "hol," which means "hollow" or "hole." This surname likely referred to someone who lived near a hollow or a depression in the ground.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Holley can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Hole." This suggests that the name has been in existence for over nine centuries and was likely used to identify individuals who lived in or near a particular location with a hollow or depression.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Holle," "Holye," and "Hollay," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. It is worth noting that many surnames originated from place names or descriptive terms related to a person's occupation, physical characteristics, or geographical location.
One notable bearer of the Holley surname was Sir John Holley, a prominent English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 16th century (born c. 1520, died 1591). Another distinguished individual with this surname was Robert Holley, an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics (born 1622, died 1699).
In the 17th century, the Holley family established themselves in the American colonies, with records showing that Thomas Holley arrived in Virginia in 1635. One of his descendants, Alexander Holley, was a renowned inventor and industrialist who played a crucial role in the development of the Bessemer steel process (born 1804, died 1887).
Another prominent figure with the Holley surname was Sallie Holley, an American educator and activist who fought for women's rights and racial equality in the late 19th century (born 1868, died 1933). Additionally, Hoyt Holley, an American historian and author, made significant contributions to the study of Southern history and culture (born 1898, died 1981).
While the Holley surname has its roots in England, it has spread throughout the world over the centuries, with bearers of the name making their mark in various fields, including politics, science, education, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holley
Among Census respondents with the surname Holley, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holley 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 Holley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 18,228
- Black or African American28.3% · 8,181
- Two or more races4.7% · 1,347
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 905
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holley
Holley 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
#1,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,231
+1,016 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.25
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,921
-1,310 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 9.68
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,098 | 29,215 | 10.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,163 | 30,231 | 10.25 | +1,016 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,192 | 28,921 | 9.68 | -1,310 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 29 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 Holley 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 | #1,163 | #1,192 | -2.5% |
| Count | 30,231 | 28,921 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 10.25 | 9.68 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holley bearers went from 30,231 to 28,921 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,163 to #1,192.
FAQ
Holley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holley?
Name Census estimates that about 33,164 living Americans carry the surname Holley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,335 residents.
How common is Holley?
Holley ranks #1,192 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,921 people with the surname Holley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Holley.
Has Holley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holley went from 30,231 recorded bearers to 28,921. That is a decrease of 1,310 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,163 to #1,192.
What does the Census say about the background of Holley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holley, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Holley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (18,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (28.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Holley (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 Holley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "holly wood or clearing" in Old English. 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 Holley (9.68 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 common is the surname Holley?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Holley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.