2000
#1,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,668
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.63
Uncommon Last name
Holcomb
A name derived from several English villages, likely referring to a valley or hollow with a bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,435 Americans carry the last name Holcomb. That puts it at #1,259 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,904 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holcomb 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 Holcomb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 10,904
Census rank
#1,259
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,413 bearers of the surname Holcomb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1259th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holcomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holcomb
The surname Holcomb is of English origin, originating in the region of Devonshire during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow or valley, and "cumb" meaning a deep valley or hollow between hills.
The name was likely given to someone who lived in or near such a geographical feature. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for places with similar names like "Holecumbe" and "Holcombe".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire from 1194, where a William de Holecumbe is listed as a landowner. In the 13th century, there are records of a John de Holcombe, whose descendants are believed to have adopted the surname Holcomb.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as "Holcomb", "Holcombe", and "Holcumb". During this time, a notable figure named William Holcomb (c. 1330-1395) was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the town of Tiverton, Devonshire.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Sir Thomas Holcomb (c. 1460-1525), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Somerset in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Holcomb family had established itself in various parts of England, with branches in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable member from this period was Captain John Holcomb (c. 1620-1690), an English navigator and explorer who sailed to the West Indies and the American colonies.
As the centuries passed, the surname spread across the English-speaking world, with descendants of the Holcomb family settling in places like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Some other notable individuals with the surname include:
1. Amasa Holcomb (1787-1875), an American lawyer and politician from New York.
2. Henry Holcomb (1765-1836), an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War.
3. William Holcomb (1804-1870), an American politician and businessman from Indiana.
4. Emily Holcomb (1852-1932), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.
5. Milton Holcomb (1889-1975), an American artist and illustrator known for his Western-themed paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holcomb
Among Census respondents with the surname Holcomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Holcomb 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 Holcomb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 23,295
- Black or African American6.0% · 1,652
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,172
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 867
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 228
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 199
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holcomb
Holcomb 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
#1,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,852
+184 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 9.78
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#1,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,413
-1,439 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 9.17
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,120 | 28,668 | 10.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,227 | 28,852 | 9.78 | +184 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #1,259 | 27,413 | 9.17 | -1,439 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 32 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 Holcomb 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 | #1,227 | #1,259 | -2.6% |
| Count | 28,852 | 27,413 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 9.78 | 9.17 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holcomb bearers went from 28,852 to 27,413 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,227 to #1,259.
FAQ
Holcomb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holcomb?
Name Census estimates that about 31,435 living Americans carry the surname Holcomb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,904 residents.
How common is Holcomb?
Holcomb ranks #1,259 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,413 people with the surname Holcomb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,435), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Holcomb.
Has Holcomb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holcomb went from 28,852 recorded bearers to 27,413. That is a decrease of 1,439 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,227 to #1,259.
What does the Census say about the background of Holcomb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holcomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Holcomb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (23,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holcomb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Holcomb (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 Holcomb mean?
A name derived from several English villages, likely referring to a valley or hollow with a bridge. 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 Holcomb (9.17 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 Holcomb?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.