2000
#9,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Holmgren
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words "holm" meaning islet and "gren" meaning branch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,586 Americans carry the last name Holmgren. That puts it at #9,868 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holmgren 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.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,581
Census rank
#9,868
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,127 bearers of the surname Holmgren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9868th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holmgren, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holmgren
The surname HOLMGREN is of Swedish origin, emerging in the 16th century. It is a compound name derived from the Swedish words 'holm' meaning a small island, and 'gren' meaning a branch or twig, potentially referring to a person residing near a small island covered with branches or twigs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Gävle parish records from 1588, where a man named Olof Holmgren was mentioned. In the 17th century, the name appeared in various Swedish church records, such as the Dalarna records from 1642 which listed a Karin Holmgren.
The name HOLMGREN gained prominence in the 18th century, with notable individuals like the Swedish botanist and taxonomist Theodor Magnus Fries Holmgren, born in 1782. He was a pioneer in the field of bryology, the study of mosses.
In the 19th century, Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish writer and feminist, was born in 1801 with the maiden name Holmgren. Her literary works, such as "The Neighbors" and "The Home," addressed social issues and promoted women's rights.
Another notable figure was Johannes Holmgren, a Swedish military officer and explorer born in 1846. He led expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the mapping of Svalbard.
In the 20th century, Björn Holmgren, a Swedish economist and politician born in 1923, served as the Governor of the Swedish Central Bank from 1983 to 1993.
While the name HOLMGREN has its roots in Sweden, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its earliest recorded instances and historical significance can be traced back to its Swedish origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holmgren
Among Census respondents with the surname Holmgren, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holmgren 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 Holmgren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,900
- Two or more races2.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holmgren
Holmgren 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
#10,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,160
+10 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 725 places
2020
#9,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,127
-33 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,472 | 3,150 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,197 | 3,160 | 1.07 | +10 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 725 places |
| 2020 | #9,868 | 3,127 | 1.05 | -33 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 329 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 Holmgren 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 | #10,197 | #9,868 | 3.2% |
| Count | 3,160 | 3,127 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.05 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holmgren bearers went from 3,160 to 3,127 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,197 to #9,868.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holmgren
FAQ
Holmgren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holmgren?
Name Census estimates that about 3,586 living Americans carry the surname Holmgren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,581 residents.
How common is Holmgren?
Holmgren ranks #9,868 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,127 people with the surname Holmgren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Holmgren.
Has Holmgren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holmgren went from 3,160 recorded bearers to 3,127. That is a decrease of 33 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,197 to #9,868.
What does the Census say about the background of Holmgren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holmgren, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Holmgren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,900 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holmgren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Holmgren (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 Holmgren mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the words "holm" meaning islet and "gren" meaning branch. 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 Holmgren (1.05 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 Holmgren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.