2000
#10,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Holtzman
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a wood worker or one who lived near woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,033 Americans carry the last name Holtzman. That puts it at #11,398 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holtzman 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
3.0K
1 in 113,008
Census rank
#11,398
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,645 bearers of the surname Holtzman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11398th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtzman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holtzman
The surname Holtzman is of German origin, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "holz," meaning wood, and "mann," meaning man, essentially translating to "woodman" or "woodworker." The name likely originated in the forested regions of Germany, where individuals were involved in the trade of woodcutting or carpentry.
Early records of the name can be found in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Holtzmann, Holzmann, and Holzman, reflecting the variations in regional dialects and scribal practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holtzman can be traced back to a 1567 document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, which mentions a "Hans Holtzman" as a resident. This document provides valuable insight into the name's presence in the region during that period.
Another notable reference is found in the records of the city of Leipzig, where a "Peter Holtzman" is listed as a master carpenter in the guild records of 1592. This entry highlights the connection between the name and the woodworking trade.
In the 17th century, the Holtzman surname spread across various parts of Germany and neighboring regions. One notable figure was Johann Christoph Holtzman (1663-1724), a renowned Lutheran theologian and philosopher from Saxony, who authored several influential works on theology and ethics.
As the Holtzman family expanded, they contributed to various fields. In the 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Holtzman (1718-1783) was a respected cartographer and geographer from Nuremberg, known for his detailed maps and atlases.
Another prominent individual was Carl Friedrich Holtzman (1796-1876), a German jurist and legal scholar from Baden-Württemberg, who served as a judge and published several works on civil law.
In the 19th century, the Holtzman name gained recognition in the field of literature. Ernst Holtzman (1826-1898) was a German philologist and literary historian from Saxony, known for his influential studies on medieval German literature and folklore.
These examples demonstrate the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals bearing the Holtzman surname throughout history, reflecting its German origins and connection to various professions, particularly those related to woodworking and craftsmanship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holtzman
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtzman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Holtzman 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 Holtzman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,448
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 83
- Two or more races3.0% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holtzman
Holtzman 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
#11,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
-29 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 855 places
2020
#11,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,645
-197 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,287 | 2,871 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,142 | 2,842 | 0.96 | -29 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 855 places |
| 2020 | #11,398 | 2,645 | 0.88 | -197 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 256 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 Holtzman 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 | #11,142 | #11,398 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,842 | 2,645 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.88 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holtzman bearers went from 2,842 to 2,645 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,142 to #11,398.
FAQ
Holtzman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holtzman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,033 living Americans carry the surname Holtzman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,008 residents.
How common is Holtzman?
Holtzman ranks #11,398 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,645 people with the surname Holtzman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,033), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Holtzman.
Has Holtzman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holtzman went from 2,842 recorded bearers to 2,645. That is a decrease of 197 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,142 to #11,398.
What does the Census say about the background of Holtzman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holtzman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Holtzman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,448 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holtzman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Holtzman (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 Holtzman mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a wood worker or one who lived near woods. 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 Holtzman (0.88 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 Holtzman?
Find out how many people are called Holtzman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.