2000
#5,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,318
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Hollowell
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "holy spring" or "hollow spring."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,494 Americans carry the last name Hollowell. That puts it at #6,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hollowell 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 Hollowell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.5K
1 in 62,387
Census rank
#6,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,791 bearers of the surname Hollowell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hollowell
The surname Hollowell is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that once existed in England. One possible explanation suggests that the name is derived from the Old English words "hol" and "well," meaning "deep well" or "sunken well."
During the Middle Ages, many people adopted surnames based on their place of origin or residence. It is likely that the earliest bearers of the Hollowell surname hailed from a location with a distinctive well or water source, which gave rise to the name. Some historical records indicate variations in spelling, such as Hollowell, Hollewell, and Hollwell, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hollowell surname appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named William de Holwelle. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where a Richard de Hollewelle is mentioned.
Notable individuals with the Hollowell surname throughout history include:
1. Thomas Hollowell (c. 1545-1612), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
2. John Hollowell (1644-1708), a prominent American planter and landowner in Virginia, known for his extensive landholdings and involvement in the colonial government.
3. Benjamin Hollowell (1695-1765), a British military officer who served in the Royal Navy during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.
4. Mary Hollowell (1753-1831), an American educator and advocate for women's education in the early United States, renowned for establishing one of the first schools for girls in Maryland.
5. William Hollowell (1825-1901), a British politician and industrialist who served as a Member of Parliament for the Northampton constituency and was a prominent figure in the local shoe manufacturing industry.
While the Hollowell surname is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its English origins and the medieval period. The name's connection to a specific location or geographic feature highlights the importance of place names in the development of surnames during that era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hollowell
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hollowell 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 Hollowell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 3,518
- Black or African American19.2% · 918
- Two or more races3.8% · 183
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hollowell
Hollowell 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
#6,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,053
-265 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 724 places
2020
#6,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,791
-262 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,960 | 5,318 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,684 | 5,053 | 1.71 | -265 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 724 places |
| 2020 | #6,765 | 4,791 | 1.60 | -262 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 81 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 Hollowell 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 | #6,684 | #6,765 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,053 | 4,791 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.60 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hollowell bearers went from 5,053 to 4,791 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,684 to #6,765.
FAQ
Hollowell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hollowell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,494 living Americans carry the surname Hollowell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,387 residents.
How common is Hollowell?
Hollowell ranks #6,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,791 people with the surname Hollowell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,494), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hollowell.
Has Hollowell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hollowell went from 5,053 recorded bearers to 4,791. That is a decrease of 262 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,684 to #6,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Hollowell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hollowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hollowell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (3,518 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hollowell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), Black (19.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Hollowell (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 Hollowell mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "holy spring" or "hollow spring." 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 Hollowell (1.60 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 have the surname Hollowell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.