Holsen last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Holsen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Holsen.

Meaning of Holsen

An occupational surname referring to one who lived near a small valley or hollow.

Holsen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Holsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Holsen in America

Holsen is the 70403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Holsen surname appeared 278 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Holsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Holsen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank70403660736.35%
Count278280-0.72%
Proportion per 100k0.090.10-10.53%

The history of the last name Holsen

The surname Holsen has its origins in the Nordic countries, particularly Norway and Sweden. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, between the 11th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "holr," meaning "hollow" or "depression," and likely referred to someone who lived near or in a valley or hollow area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holsen can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents dating back to the 12th century. In these records, the name appears spelled as "Holsæn" or "Holsen," indicating its Nordic roots.

In the 13th century, a man named Thorvald Holsen is mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas as a prominent landowner and chieftain in the Trondheim region of Norway. This suggests that the Holsen family held a respectable position in society during that era.

The name Holsen can also be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and taxation in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. While the name itself is not present, there are references to places with similar names, such as "Holesdale" and "Holsworthy," indicating the presence of people with surnames derived from their place of residence.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Holsen name was Hans Holsen, a Danish sailor and navigator born around 1520. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the coast of Greenland and establish trade relations with the local Inuit population.

Another prominent individual with the Holsen surname was Carl Gustaf Holsen, a Swedish military officer and engineer who lived from 1741 to 1808. He played a significant role in the fortification of Stockholm and the construction of several important military installations in Sweden.

In the 19th century, the name Holsen gained recognition through the achievements of Norwegian-American artist Knute Holsen (1837-1903). He is renowned for his landscape paintings capturing the beauty of the American West and is considered one of the pioneers of the Rocky Mountain School of painting.

Throughout history, the Holsen surname has been associated with various professions and social classes, ranging from landowners and chieftains to sailors, military personnel, and artists. While its origins can be traced back to the Nordic regions, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Holsen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Holsen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Holsen was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only88.85%247
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races3.24%9
Hispanic Origin6.83%19

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Holsen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White88.85%93.93%-5.56%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races3.24%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic6.83%3.21%72.11%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Holsen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Holsen, please contact us.

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