2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holombo
A surname of Sri Lankan origin, possibly derived from the Sinhalese words "holu" meaning flat and "bombu/ambu" referring to a valley or enclosed space.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Holombo. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holombo 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Holombo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holombo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holombo
The surname HOLOMBO has its origins in the Venetian region of northern Italy, dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "colombo," which means "dove" or "pigeon." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who kept or raised these birds, or perhaps someone who had a particular affinity for them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOLOMBO can be found in a document from the city of Venice in 1492, which mentions a certain Giovanni Holombo, a merchant and trader. It is possible that this individual or his ancestors adopted the name due to their involvement in the trade of pigeons or their related products.
In the 16th century, the HOLOMBO name appears to have spread to other parts of Italy, with records indicating families bearing this surname in cities such as Florence and Milan. One notable figure from this period was Vincenzo Holombo (1535-1611), a renowned painter and fresco artist who contributed to the decoration of several churches and palaces in northern Italy.
As the centuries progressed, the HOLOMBO name made its way to other parts of Europe, possibly through migration or trade connections. In the late 17th century, a family with this surname is documented as having settled in the Spanish city of Barcelona, where they established themselves as merchants and traders.
One of the earliest known instances of the HOLOMBO name outside of Italy and Spain can be found in the records of the Dutch East India Company in the late 18th century. A certain Pieter Holombo (1756-1819) was listed as a ship's captain and navigator, indicating that the name had spread to the Netherlands and potentially other parts of Europe through maritime connections.
In the 19th century, the HOLOMBO surname gained prominence in the field of medicine, with a notable figure being Dr. Antonio Holombo (1822-1899), an Italian physician and researcher who made significant contributions to the study of infectious diseases. His work was widely recognized and cited by his contemporaries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holombo
Among Census respondents with the surname Holombo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Holombo 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 Holombo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 111
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holombo
Holombo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+8 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,090 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 8,090 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 Holombo 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 | #156,044 | #147,954 | 5.2% |
| Count | 104 | 112 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holombo bearers went from 104 to 112 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 8,090 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,954.
FAQ
Holombo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holombo?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Holombo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Holombo?
Holombo ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Holombo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Holombo.
Has Holombo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holombo went from 104 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 8 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Holombo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holombo, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Holombo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holombo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Holombo (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 Holombo mean?
A surname of Sri Lankan origin, possibly derived from the Sinhalese words "holu" meaning flat and "bombu/ambu" referring to a valley or enclosed space. 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 Holombo (0.04 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 Holombo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.