2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holtam
A habitational surname referring to someone from a town of that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Holtam. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holtam 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Holtam with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Holtam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtam, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holtam
The surname Holtam has its origins in England, likely emerging during the Middle Ages between the 11th and 15th centuries. It is believed to be derived from Old English words "hol" meaning "hollow" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". This suggests the name may have originated from a place name referring to a settlement situated in or near a hollow or valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William de Holteham is mentioned. This indicates the surname was already in use by the late 12th century and points to a potential connection with the village of Holteham, which may have been an earlier spelling of a place name that eventually evolved into Holtam.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of land ownership and taxation, there is an entry for a John de Holtham, further reinforcing the link between the surname and a place name with a similar spelling. The Holtam surname may have been associated with individuals who either lived in or originated from a location bearing a name like Holtham or Holteham.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Holtam surname. One example is William Holtam (c. 1530-1599), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Coventry from 1588 until his death. Another is John Holtam (c. 1650-1725), a prominent English merchant and landowner from Yorkshire.
In the 17th century, the Holtam surname appeared in parish records across various counties in England, including Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. This suggests the name had spread to different regions by this time. One individual of note from this period was Thomas Holtam (1624-1693), a wealthy landowner and benefactor from Nottinghamshire.
Moving into the 18th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of England. Notable figures include Samuel Holtam (1702-1772), a respected attorney and legal scholar from London, and Elizabeth Holtam (1730-1805), a prominent philanthropist and patron of the arts from Warwickshire.
Throughout its history, the Holtam surname has maintained a presence in England, with its origins likely tracing back to a specific place name related to a settlement in a hollow or valley. While the name has evolved in spelling over the centuries, its connection to this geographical reference remains a plausible explanation for its etymology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holtam
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtam, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holtam 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 Holtam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 87
- Two or more races9.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holtam
Holtam 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 2,130 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 Holtam 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 | #153,769 | #151,639 | 1.4% |
| Count | 106 | 107 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holtam bearers went from 106 to 107 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 2,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #151,639.
FAQ
Holtam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holtam?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Holtam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Holtam?
Holtam ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Holtam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Holtam.
Has Holtam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holtam went from 106 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Holtam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtam, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Holtam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holtam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Two or More Races (9.3%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Holtam (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 Holtam mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from a town of that name. 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 Holtam (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 common is the surname Holtam?
Find out how many people have the surname Holtam on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.