2000
#10,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,721
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Hollman
A surname of German origin, derived from a shortened form of the Germanic personal name Hollmann, meaning "gracious man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,649 Americans carry the last name Hollman. That puts it at #12,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,390 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollman 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 Hollman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 129,390
Census rank
#12,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,310 bearers of the surname Hollman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollman
The surname Hollman originates from Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "holundr," which refers to the elder tree, suggesting that the original bearer of the name may have lived near or worked with these trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hollman surname can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, from the year 1295. The entry mentions a certain "Johannes Hollman" who was a local merchant. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
During the 14th century, variations of the spelling began to appear, such as "Holman" and "Hollemann." These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that era.
In the late 15th century, a notable figure named Gottfried Hollman (1455-1523) was a prominent scholar and theologian based in Nuremberg. His writings on religious philosophy were widely circulated throughout Europe during the Renaissance period.
The Hollman surname can also be traced back to the small village of Hollmannsdorf, located in what is now modern-day Poland. It is believed that the village may have been named after an early settler with the Hollman surname, suggesting the name's presence in the region as early as the 12th century.
Another noteworthy individual with the Hollman surname was Hans Hollman (1572-1637), a skilled goldsmith and metalworker from Dresden. His intricate creations were highly sought after by the nobility of the time, and some of his works can still be found in museums across Europe.
In the 17th century, the Hollman surname began to appear more frequently in records throughout Germany, Austria, and other parts of Central Europe. This could be attributed to the increasing literacy rates and the improved record-keeping practices of the time.
One of the earliest known Hollmans to immigrate to North America was Johann Hollman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753. He and his family were among the many German settlers who established communities in the American colonies during that period.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, several prominent figures bearing the Hollman surname emerged, including Friedrich Hollman (1792-1868), a respected philosopher and educator from Berlin, and Wilhelm Hollman (1817-1889), a pioneering chemist whose research contributed to the development of modern dye manufacturing processes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollman
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollman 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 Hollman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 1,493
- Black or African American26.4% · 610
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 85
- Two or more races3.4% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollman
Hollman 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
#12,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,462
-259 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 1,814 places
2020
#12,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,310
-152 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,762 | 2,721 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,576 | 2,462 | 0.83 | -259 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 1,814 places |
| 2020 | #12,757 | 2,310 | 0.77 | -152 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 181 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 Hollman 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 | #12,576 | #12,757 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,462 | 2,310 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.77 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollman bearers went from 2,462 to 2,310 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,576 to #12,757.
FAQ
Hollman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,649 living Americans carry the surname Hollman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,390 residents.
How common is Hollman?
Hollman ranks #12,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,310 people with the surname Hollman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Hollman.
Has Hollman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollman went from 2,462 recorded bearers to 2,310. That is a decrease of 152 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,576 to #12,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hollman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (1,493 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.6%), Black (26.4%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hollman (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 Hollman mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a shortened form of the Germanic personal name Hollmann, meaning "gracious man." 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 Hollman (0.77 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 are called Hollman?
See how common the surname Hollman is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.