2000
#6,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Holst
Derived from a Danish place name meaning "holly" or "holly wood," likely referring to a person who lived near holly trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,752 Americans carry the last name Holst. That puts it at #7,702 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,128 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holst 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
4.8K
1 in 72,128
Census rank
#7,702
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,144 bearers of the surname Holst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7702nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holst
The surname Holst originated in Germany and Scandinavia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "holtr," meaning a small hill or wooded knoll. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a small hill or wooded area.
In Germany, the name was originally spelled "Holste" or "Holsten." It first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, such as the Liber Censualis, a tax register from the city of Lübeck. The name was particularly common in northern Germany and the regions of Holstein and Schleswig.
In Scandinavia, the name was spelled "Holst" or "Holste." One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Jens Holst, a Danish nobleman who lived in the 14th century. The name was also found in Norway, where it was often associated with the region of Holstebro.
The Domesday Book, a record of land ownership in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any references to the surname Holst, suggesting it was not yet present in England at that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Holst include:
1. Gustav Holst (1874-1934), an English composer best known for his orchestral suite "The Planets."
2. Niels Holst (1905-1987), a Danish sculptor and artist known for his abstract works.
3. Edvard Holst (1853-1931), a Norwegian historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Norway.
4. Hans Holst (1886-1977), a Danish architect and designer who played a significant role in the development of Danish functionalism.
5. Theodor Holst (1810-1842), a Norwegian painter and one of the pioneers of Norwegian romantic nationalism in art.
The surname Holst has a rich history, originating from the Old Norse language and likely referring to a person living near a small hill or wooded area. It has been present in various parts of northern Europe since the medieval period and has been borne by notable individuals in fields such as art, music, literature, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holst
Among Census respondents with the surname Holst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Holst 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 Holst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 3,766
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 150
- Two or more races2.9% · 121
- Black or African American1.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holst
Holst 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
#7,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,691
+267 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#7,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,144
-547 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 573 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,987 | 4,424 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,129 | 4,691 | 1.59 | +267 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #7,702 | 4,144 | 1.39 | -547 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 573 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 Holst 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 | #7,129 | #7,702 | -8.0% |
| Count | 4,691 | 4,144 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.39 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holst bearers went from 4,691 to 4,144 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 573 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,129 to #7,702.
FAQ
Holst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holst?
Name Census estimates that about 4,752 living Americans carry the surname Holst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,128 residents.
How common is Holst?
Holst ranks #7,702 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,144 people with the surname Holst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Holst.
Has Holst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holst went from 4,691 recorded bearers to 4,144. That is a decrease of 547 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,129 to #7,702.
What does the Census say about the background of Holst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Holst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (3,766 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Holst (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 Holst mean?
Derived from a Danish place name meaning "holly" or "holly wood," likely referring to a person who lived near holly trees. 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 Holst (1.39 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 Holst?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.