2000
#7,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Holstein
A habitational surname referring to someone from the region of Holstein in northern Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,182 Americans carry the last name Holstein. That puts it at #8,636 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holstein 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
4.2K
1 in 81,959
Census rank
#8,636
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,647 bearers of the surname Holstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8636th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holstein
The surname Holstein originated in the German region of Holstein, located in the northern part of the modern-day German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The name likely dates back to the 12th or 13th century, deriving from the Old Saxon word "holunstein," which means "raised ground" or "hilly land."
The earliest recorded instances of the Holstein surname can be found in medieval records and documents from the Holstein region. One notable example is a land deed from 1287, which mentions a landholder named Heinrich von Holstein. This suggests that the name was already associated with the area during that time period.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, the Holstein surname appeared in various historical records from the region, including tax rolls, court documents, and parish registers. Some notable individuals bearing the name during this time include Gerhard von Holstein (c. 1367-1425), a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Lübeck, and Johann Holstein (c. 1470-1541), a German humanist and scholar.
In the 16th century, the Holstein surname began to spread beyond the borders of the Holstein region as families migrated to other parts of Germany and Europe. One prominent figure from this period was Lucas Holstein (1522-1603), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
As the name spread, it also experienced variations in spelling, including Holsten, Holstyn, and Holsteyn. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in record-keeping practices.
Another notable individual with the Holstein surname was Thomas Holstein (1595-1661), a Dutch politician and diplomat who served as the ambassador of the Dutch Republic to England and France. He was instrumental in negotiating the Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War.
In the 19th century, the Holstein surname gained further prominence with the birth of Friedrich von Holstein (1837-1909), a German diplomat and statesman who played a significant role in shaping the foreign policy of the German Empire under Otto von Bismarck.
Other notable individuals with the Holstein surname include Ernst Johann von Holstein-Gottorp (1784-1853), a German nobleman and military officer, and Benedikt Michael Holstein (1805-1868), a German architect known for his work on various churches and public buildings in Schleswig-Holstein.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Holstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Holstein 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 Holstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 3,301
- Two or more races3.8% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- Black or African American0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holstein
Holstein 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
#8,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,098
-22 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 645 places
2020
#8,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,647
-451 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 545 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,446 | 4,120 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,091 | 4,098 | 1.39 | -22 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 645 places |
| 2020 | #8,636 | 3,647 | 1.22 | -451 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 545 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 Holstein 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 | #8,091 | #8,636 | -6.7% |
| Count | 4,098 | 3,647 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.22 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holstein bearers went from 4,098 to 3,647 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 545 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,091 to #8,636.
FAQ
Holstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holstein?
Name Census estimates that about 4,182 living Americans carry the surname Holstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,959 residents.
How common is Holstein?
Holstein ranks #8,636 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,647 people with the surname Holstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Holstein.
Has Holstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holstein went from 4,098 recorded bearers to 3,647. That is a decrease of 451 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,091 to #8,636.
What does the Census say about the background of Holstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Holstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Holstein (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 Holstein mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from the region of Holstein in northern Germany. 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 Holstein (1.22 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 Holstein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.