Holly Howell
There are approximately 66 people named Holly Howell living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 5,193,248 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Holly with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Howell. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
66
1 in 5,193,248
Named Holly
183K
Alive today
Named Howell
123K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 183K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1983
Average age: 45
Top Census group: White (90.7%)
Estimated bearers: 123K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #286
Per 100K: 35.94
Top ancestry: White (76.3%)
First name trend
Holly: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Holly. The peak year was 1983 with 6,415 births. The average person named Holly today is 45 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holly
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Holly, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 90.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Holly described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Holly at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White90.7% · 165,773
- Two or more races3.1% · 5,663
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 4,737
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 2,865
- Black or African American1.4% · 2,642
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,064
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Howell surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Howell, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 76.3%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Howell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Howell at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White76.3% · 81,942
- Black or African American14.9% · 15,965
- Two or more races4.1% · 4,429
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 3,701
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 734
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 643
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Holly has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0533% of the US population, based on 182,620 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Holly right now.
The surname Howell appears at a rate of 35.94 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0359%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 66 people with the full name Holly Howell. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Holly
Related
Other people with the surname Howell
FAQ
Holly Howell: questions and answers
How many people are named Holly Howell?
We estimate approximately 66 people in the United States share the full name Holly Howell. That works out to about 1 in 5,193,248 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0533%) with the surname frequency (35.94 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Holly Howell?
We classify Holly Howell as "Very Rare". About 1 in 5,193,248 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Holly a male or female name?
Holly is predominantly female. Out of 206,089 total SSA registrations, 0.7% were male and 99.3% were female. See the full Holly profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are called Holly Howell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.