2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holzum
A surname referring to someone from a place called Holzum in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Holzum. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holzum 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Holzum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holzum
The surname Holzum is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German words "holz" meaning "wood" and "heim" meaning "home" or "settlement," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived in a wooded area or near a forest.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Holzum, who was born in the town of Holzum, located in the northern German region of Lower Saxony, around 1280. The town's name itself is believed to be derived from the same roots as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
In the 14th century, the name Holzum appeared in several historical records, including the Hamburg Burgerbuch, a register of citizens in the city of Hamburg. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its initial geographical confines and was being adopted by individuals in other parts of Germany.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Holzum was Hans Holzum, a merchant and philanthropist who lived in the city of Lübeck. He was born in 1520 and made significant contributions to the city's development, including funding the construction of several public buildings and establishing a hospital for the poor.
In the 17th century, the name Holzum gained prominence in the literary world with the birth of Johann Christoph Holzum, a German poet and playwright. He was born in 1640 in the town of Holzum and is best known for his epic poem "Die Holzheimer Chronik," which recounts the history of his hometown and its surrounding areas.
Another notable bearer of the name Holzum was Friedrich Wilhelm Holzum, a German military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1780 and rose through the ranks to become a general in the Prussian Army, distinguishing himself in several battles against the French forces.
Throughout its history, the surname Holzum has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, with many individuals bearing the name hailing from various regions of the country. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through migration and other factors, its origins can be traced back to the wooded settlements of northern Germany in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holzum
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holzum 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 Holzum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holzum
Holzum 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,366 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,366 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,879 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 Holzum 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 | #143,149 | #145,028 | -1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 116 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holzum bearers went from 116 to 116 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,028.
FAQ
Holzum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holzum?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Holzum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Holzum?
Holzum ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Holzum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Holzum.
Has Holzum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holzum went from 116 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Holzum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Holzum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holzum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Holzum (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 Holzum mean?
A surname referring to someone from a place called Holzum in Germany. 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 Holzum (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 common is the surname Holzum?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Holzum at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.