2000
#3,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.28
Rare Last name
Holly
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a holly tree or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,592 Americans carry the last name Holly. That puts it at #4,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holly 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 Holly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,733
Census rank
#4,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,365 bearers of the surname Holly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holly, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holly
The surname Holly is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a topographic name, derived from the Old English word 'holen,' meaning holly tree. This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a holly tree or in an area where holly trees grew abundantly.
The earliest known record of the name Holly can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Holei.' This indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. It is possible that the name was brought to England by Norman settlers, who had adopted it from the existing Anglo-Saxon population.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded in various forms, such as 'Holli,' 'Holi,' and 'Holye.' These variations reflect the different ways in which the name was spelled and pronounced in different regions of England. By the 14th century, the spelling had settled into its modern form of 'Holly.'
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Holly, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. Another notable individual was William Holly, a landowner in Gloucestershire, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.
The Holly surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history, including:
1. Ralph Holly (c. 1600-1677), an English Puritan minister and author.
2. Levi Holly (1796-1853), an American surveyor and politician who served as the third Governor of Connecticut.
3. Charles Holly (1836-1904), an American architect known for designing several notable buildings in New Haven, Connecticut.
4. Buddy Holly (1936-1959), an American singer-songwriter and pioneer of rock and roll music.
5. Aidan Holly (born 1985), a British actor best known for his role in the television series 'The Tudors.'
While the surname Holly is predominantly found in England and the United States, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for someone living near holly trees.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holly
Among Census respondents with the surname Holly, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Holly 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 Holly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 5,255
- Black or African American27.4% · 2,290
- Two or more races4.3% · 359
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 328
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holly
Holly 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
#3,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,934
+78 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 299 places
2020
#4,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,365
-569 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,680 | 8,856 | 3.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,979 | 8,934 | 3.03 | +78 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 299 places |
| 2020 | #4,119 | 8,365 | 2.80 | -569 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 140 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 Holly 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 | #3,979 | #4,119 | -3.5% |
| Count | 8,934 | 8,365 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.03 | 2.80 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holly bearers went from 8,934 to 8,365 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,979 to #4,119.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holly
FAQ
Holly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holly?
Name Census estimates that about 9,592 living Americans carry the surname Holly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,733 residents.
How common is Holly?
Holly ranks #4,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,365 people with the surname Holly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Holly.
Has Holly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holly went from 8,934 recorded bearers to 8,365. That is a decrease of 569 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,979 to #4,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Holly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holly, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Holly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (5,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.8%), Black (27.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Holly (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 Holly mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a holly tree or grove. 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 Holly (2.80 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 Americans have the surname Holly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.