2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holzen
A locational surname referring to someone from a place containing the German word "holz" meaning wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Holzen. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holzen 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Holzen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holzen
The surname Holzen originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "holz," meaning "wood" or "forest," and may have initially referred to someone living near a wooded area or working as a forester or woodcutter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holzen can be found in the Stadtrechenbuch (town account book) of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in southwest Germany, dating back to the year 1359. The entry mentions a certain "Hainrich Holzen" who was a resident of the town.
In the 15th century, the name Holzen appeared in various historical documents across different regions of Germany, including the Heidelberg University Matriculation Register, which recorded the enrollment of a student named "Johannes Holzen" in 1473.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals with the surname Holzen emerged. In 1532, a man named Hans Holzen was recorded as a member of the city council in Ulm, a city in southern Germany. Another Holzen, Johann Holzen (1532-1608), was a Protestant theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen.
In the 18th century, the name Holzen gained prominence with the birth of Johann Gottfried Holzen (1708-1775), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of logic and metaphysics. He served as a professor at the University of Leipzig and authored several influential works.
Another historically significant figure was Karl Holzen (1798-1868), a German politician and statesman who played a key role in the Revolutions of 1848 and the formation of the Frankfurt National Assembly. He advocated for liberal reforms and the unification of Germany.
It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Holtzen, Hölzen, or Hoelzen, were common throughout history due to regional dialects and the evolution of the German language over time. Additionally, the name may have been associated with certain place names or geographical locations, although specific details are scarce.
While the surname Holzen is relatively uncommon today, it holds a rich historical legacy rooted in the German countryside and has produced notable individuals across various fields, from academics and theologians to politicians and philosophers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holzen
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Holzen 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 Holzen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holzen
Holzen 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2,537 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 Holzen 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 | #150,452 | #152,989 | -1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 105 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holzen bearers went from 109 to 105 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 2,537 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,989.
FAQ
Holzen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holzen?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Holzen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Holzen?
Holzen ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Holzen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Holzen.
Has Holzen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holzen went from 109 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Holzen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Holzen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holzen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Holzen (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 Holzen mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place containing the German word "holz" meaning wood. 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 Holzen (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 share the surname Holzen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.