2000
#9,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Holz
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone living near or in a wood or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,327 Americans carry the last name Holz. That puts it at #10,542 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holz 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
3.3K
1 in 103,022
Census rank
#10,542
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,901 bearers of the surname Holz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10542nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holz
The surname Holz is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word 'holz' meaning 'wood' or 'forest'. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a forester, woodcutter, or someone who lived near a wooded area.
One of the earliest records of the name Holz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Holy Roman Empire, dating back to the 12th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony during this period.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Konrad Holz, a German knight and landowner who lived in the region of Franconia. His name appears in several charters and land records from that era.
During the 16th century, the name Holz gained prominence with the rise of the German Reformation. Hans Holz (1492-1529) was a Lutheran theologian and close associate of Martin Luther, known for his influential writings and sermons during the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure with the surname Holz was Johann Holz (1618-1675), a German architect and master builder who is credited with designing several churches and public buildings in the Baroque style throughout Germany and Austria.
In the 19th century, the name Holz was associated with several prominent figures in the arts and sciences. Carl Holz (1801-1869) was a German painter known for his landscape and genre paintings, while Friedrich Holz (1815-1886) was a renowned German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to celestial mechanics.
The name Holz has also been associated with various places and geographic features throughout Germany. For example, the village of Holzheim in Bavaria was historically known as 'Holz', while the town of Holzminden in Lower Saxony is derived from the Old German words 'holz' and 'munde', meaning 'mouth of the forest'.
While the surname Holz is predominantly found in Germany, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and beyond, as a result of migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holz
Among Census respondents with the surname Holz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Holz 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 Holz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,673
- Two or more races3.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holz
Holz 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
#10,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,002
-25 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 807 places
2020
#10,542
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,901
-101 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,850 | 3,027 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,657 | 3,002 | 1.02 | -25 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 807 places |
| 2020 | #10,542 | 2,901 | 0.97 | -101 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 115 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 Holz 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 | #10,657 | #10,542 | 1.1% |
| Count | 3,002 | 2,901 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.97 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holz bearers went from 3,002 to 2,901 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,657 to #10,542.
FAQ
Holz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holz?
Name Census estimates that about 3,327 living Americans carry the surname Holz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,022 residents.
How common is Holz?
Holz ranks #10,542 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,901 people with the surname Holz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,327), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Holz.
Has Holz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holz went from 3,002 recorded bearers to 2,901. That is a decrease of 101 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,657 to #10,542.
What does the Census say about the background of Holz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (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 Holz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,673 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (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 Holz (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 Holz mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone living near or in a wood or forest. 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 Holz (0.97 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 Holz?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Holz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.