Find out how popular the last name Hollister is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hollister.

Hollister, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hollister surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hollister in America

Hollister is the 5992nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hollister surname appeared 5,736 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hollister.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hollister to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hollister

The surname Hollister is of English origin, derived from the Old English words 'hol' meaning 'hollow' and 'ster' meaning 'a place'. It is a locational name that referred to someone who lived near a hollow or sunken area of land.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various counties across England, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ralph de Hollostr, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1275.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the Hollister name, such as 'Holehest' in Suffolk and 'Holesterne' in Devon.

The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Hollister in Berkshire and Holster in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further reinforcing the locational origin of the name.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Hollister. One of the earliest was John Hollister (c. 1612-1665), who was one of the founders of Wethersfield, Connecticut, and served as a deputy to the General Court of Connecticut.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Gideon Hollister (1619-1692), who was a colonial magistrate and one of the founders of Glastonbury, Connecticut. His son, Stephen Hollister (1647-1720), was a militia captain during King Philip's War and later served as a deacon in the Congregational Church.

In the 19th century, George Hollister (1818-1900) was a noted businessman and philanthropist from Connecticut. He co-founded the Hollister Brothers Woolen Mills and donated funds for the construction of several public buildings in his hometown.

One of the most famous individuals with the Hollister surname was John Chipman Hollister (1819-1886), an American educator and author who served as the president of several universities, including Beaver College and the Illinois State Normal University.

Another notable figure was Ovando James Hollister (1826-1886), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hollister

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hollister.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hollister was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hollister has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hollister was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hollister, please contact us.

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