2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holtrey
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the holly tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Holtrey. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holtrey 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Holtrey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holtrey
The surname Holtrey has its origins in England and can be traced back to the medieval period. The name likely derives from the Old English words 'holt,' meaning a wood or grove, and 'ry,' referring to a clearing or meadow. It suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a woodland clearing.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Holtrey name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a certain William de Holtrey is listed as a landowner. The prefix 'de' in this early spelling indicates that the name was originally a locational surname, referring to a specific place called Holtrey.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various manorial records from Worcestershire and Herefordshire, often spelled as Holtre or Holtrey. These counties likely contained villages or hamlets with names similar to Holtrey, from which the surname originated.
The Holtrey name can also be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a John de Holtrey is mentioned as a resident of the county. This further confirms the early prevalence of the name in the English Midlands.
One notable bearer of the Holtrey surname was Sir Thomas Holtrey (1480-1555), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the reign of Henry VIII. He played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries and acquired several former monastic lands.
Another historical figure with this surname was Richard Holtrey (1615-1683), a English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire and was known for his religious writings.
In the 18th century, the Holtrey name appears in parish records from various villages in Gloucestershire, such as Painswick and Stroud. One example is William Holtrey (1712-1786), a farmer from the village of Slad.
The 19th century saw the Holtrey name spread to other parts of England, with records indicating families residing in counties like Staffordshire and Warwickshire. A notable bearer from this era was Elizabeth Holtrey (1825-1901), a philanthropist and supporter of women's education in Birmingham.
Throughout its history, the Holtrey surname has maintained a strong presence in the English Midlands, particularly in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire, where it originated as a locational surname derived from a specific place name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holtrey
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Holtrey 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 Holtrey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holtrey
Holtrey 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+12 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,974 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-15 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,974 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 14,802 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 Holtrey 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 | #133,863 | #148,665 | -11.1% |
| Count | 126 | 111 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holtrey bearers went from 126 to 111 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 14,802 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #148,665.
FAQ
Holtrey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holtrey?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Holtrey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Holtrey?
Holtrey ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Holtrey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Holtrey.
Has Holtrey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holtrey went from 126 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Holtrey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtrey, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Holtrey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holtrey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Hispanic (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Holtrey (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 Holtrey mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the holly tree". 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 Holtrey (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 last name Holtrey?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Holtrey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.