2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wolstenholm
A locational surname referring to someone from the village of Wolstenholme in Yorkshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Wolstenholm. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wolstenholm 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wolstenholm with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Wolstenholm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolstenholm, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wolstenholm
The surname Wolstenholm is of English origin, specifically from the northern parts of England. It is a toponymic surname, derived from a place called Wolstenholme in the historic county of Lancashire, now in Greater Manchester. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages and is composed of the Old English personal name Wulfstan and the word holm, which means a small island or a piece of slightly raised land in a fen or wetland.
The earliest references to the Wolstenholm name appear in medieval records. One of the first recorded instances of the name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a man named Wulfstan was recorded as a landholder. This indicates the usage of Wulfstan as a personal name, which eventually evolved into the place name Wolstenholme and subsequently into the surname Wolstenholm.
In subsequent centuries, the surname appears in various records and documents. One significant early bearer of the name was Robert de Wolstenholme, noted in the Year Books of 1279. Another early example is Richard Wolstenholme, whose name appears in the records of the Lancashire Assizes in the 14th century. These records often deal with legal cases and land disputes, providing important insights into the early usage and social standing of the name.
The name Wolstenholm has undergone various spellings over time, including Wolstenholme, Wolstenholms, and Wolstinholme. Place names like Wolstenholme Fold and Wolstenholme Hall in Greater Manchester solidify the geographical origins of the surname.
Throughout history, several noteworthy individuals have carried the surname Wolstenholm. Sir John Wolstenholme (1562-1639) was a prominent merchant who played a significant role in raising funds for the Virginia Company, which established the Jamestown colony in America. Another significant figure is James Wolstenholme (c. 1616-1696), a noted English Protestant clergyman known for his religious writings and sermons.
In the 19th century, Thomas Wolstenholme (1829-1890) became known as a key figure in the British art scene, particularly for his contributions to the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Similarly, George Wolstenholme (1833-1899), a Sheffield-based industrialist, was instrumental in developing the cutlery industry, a hallmark of Sheffield’s industrial history.
The legacy of the Wolstenholm name continues to be influential, with historical records marking the contributions and presence of individuals bearing this surname. Through its etymological roots and historical references, the surname Wolstenholm offers a rich glimpse into the cultural and social transformations of England from the medieval period to modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wolstenholm
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolstenholm, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wolstenholm 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 Wolstenholm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 11
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wolstenholm
Wolstenholm 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Wolstenholm 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 | #146,201 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wolstenholm bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Wolstenholm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wolstenholm?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Wolstenholm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Wolstenholm?
Wolstenholm ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Wolstenholm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Wolstenholm.
Has Wolstenholm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wolstenholm went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Wolstenholm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wolstenholm, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wolstenholm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wolstenholm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Hispanic (10.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wolstenholm (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 Wolstenholm mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the village of Wolstenholme in Yorkshire, England. 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 Wolstenholm (0.03 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 surname Wolstenholm?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.