2000
#85,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Holzbauer
A German surname meaning "wood builder" or "carpenter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 258 Americans carry the last name Holzbauer. That puts it at #88,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,328,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holzbauer 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
258
1 in 1,328,505
Census rank
#88,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
225
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 225 bearers of the surname Holzbauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 88580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holzbauer
The surname Holzbauer is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is a compound name derived from the German words 'holz' meaning 'wood' and 'bauer' meaning 'farmer' or 'builder'. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who worked with wood, either as a forester, a woodcutter, or a carpenter.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Holzbauer can be traced back to the 15th century in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in Bavaria and surrounding areas. Some variations of the spelling include Holzpauer, Holzbawer, and Holzbawer.
In the 16th century, the name Holzbauer appeared in several official documents and records in the German states. One notable example is Johann Holzbauer, a carpenter and woodworker from Augsburg, who is mentioned in guild records from the mid-1500s.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, it also became associated with certain place names. For instance, the town of Holzbauern in Lower Austria is believed to have been named after a family bearing the Holzbauer name.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the Holzbauer surname. One of the earliest was Hans Holzbauer (c. 1500-1575), a master woodcarver from Nuremberg whose intricate works adorned churches and cathedrals across southern Germany.
Another prominent figure was Johann Georg Holzbauer (1728-1783), an Austrian composer and musician who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo in Salzburg.
In the 19th century, Franz Xaver Holzbauer (1799-1868) was a renowned German architect who designed several notable buildings in Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek art gallery.
More recently, Willibald Holzbauer (1930-2019) was an Austrian sculptor and artist known for his abstract and contemporary works, many of which can be found in public spaces across Europe.
Despite its German origins, the Holzbauer name has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant German immigration, such as the United States and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holzbauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Holzbauer 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 Holzbauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 9
- Two or more races4.0% · 9
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holzbauer
Holzbauer 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
#90,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,210 places
2020
#88,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
+22 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 2,273 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,643 | 203 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #90,853 | 203 | 0.07 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,210 places |
| 2020 | #88,580 | 225 | 0.08 | +22 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 2,273 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 Holzbauer 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 | #90,853 | #88,580 | 2.5% |
| Count | 203 | 225 | 10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holzbauer bearers went from 203 to 225 (+10.8% change). The surname moved up 2,273 positions in the national ranking, going from #90,853 to #88,580.
FAQ
Holzbauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holzbauer?
Name Census estimates that about 258 living Americans carry the surname Holzbauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,328,505 residents.
How common is Holzbauer?
Holzbauer ranks #88,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 225 people with the surname Holzbauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Holzbauer.
Has Holzbauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holzbauer went from 203 recorded bearers to 225. That is an increase of 22 (+10.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #90,853 to #88,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Holzbauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzbauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Holzbauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (205 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holzbauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Holzbauer (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 Holzbauer mean?
A German surname meaning "wood builder" or "carpenter". 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 Holzbauer (0.08 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 share the surname Holzbauer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.