2000
#14,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,858
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Hollier
An English occupational surname for a person who made or sold horse collars or halters.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,096 Americans carry the last name Hollier. That puts it at #15,443 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollier 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 Hollier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,528
Census rank
#15,443
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,828 bearers of the surname Hollier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15443rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollier, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollier
The surname HOLLIER has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "holh," meaning a hollow or deep valley, combined with the suffix "-ier," indicating a person who lived in or near a particular location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1273, where a person named William le Holiere is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as Holliar, Holiar, and Hollyer, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time. One notable mention is in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, which lists a John Hollyere among the taxpayers.
The Hollier surname is also connected to several place names in England, including Hollier's Hill in Oxfordshire and Hollier's Green in Staffordshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Hollier surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.
Among the notable historical figures with the Hollier surname is Sir John Hollier (1520-1589), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London who served as the Lord Mayor of the city in 1588-1589. Another prominent individual was Hubert Hollier (1578-1637), a distinguished lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.
In the 17th century, the Hollier family gained prominence in the county of Somerset, where several members held positions of importance. One such individual was William Hollier (1635-1701), who served as the High Sheriff of Somerset in 1689.
During the 18th century, the surname spread beyond England, with records indicating Hollier families settling in various parts of the British Empire, including North America and the Caribbean.
Other notable individuals bearing the Hollier surname include Robert Hollier (1811-1886), a notable British architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London, and Charles Hollier (1848-1935), a prominent Australian politician and member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollier
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollier, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollier 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 Hollier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 1,442
- Black or African American13.5% · 246
- Two or more races4.1% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollier
Hollier 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
#15,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
+83 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 507 places
2020
#15,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,828
-113 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,671 | 1,858 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,178 | 1,941 | 0.66 | +83 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 507 places |
| 2020 | #15,443 | 1,828 | 0.61 | -113 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 265 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 Hollier 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 | #15,178 | #15,443 | -1.7% |
| Count | 1,941 | 1,828 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.61 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollier bearers went from 1,941 to 1,828 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 265 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,178 to #15,443.
FAQ
Hollier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,096 living Americans carry the surname Hollier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,528 residents.
How common is Hollier?
Hollier ranks #15,443 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 1,828 people with the surname Hollier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,096), 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 Hollier.
Has Hollier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollier went from 1,941 recorded bearers to 1,828. That is a decrease of 113 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,178 to #15,443.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollier, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hollier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (1,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (13.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hollier (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 Hollier mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who made or sold horse collars or halters. 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 Hollier (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 common is the surname Hollier?
Find out how common the surname Hollier is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.