2000
#978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.04
Uncommon Last name
Holder
An occupational surname for a tenant or owner of land or dwellings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,648 Americans carry the last name Holder. That puts it at #1,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holder 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 Holder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,353
Census rank
#1,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,959 bearers of the surname Holder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holder, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holder
The surname HOLDER is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "healdere," meaning "one who holds" or "keeps." It likely emerged as an occupational surname for someone who held a position of responsibility, such as a bailiff, steward, or estate manager.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century, with the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mentioning a Reginald le Holdere in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also list a John le Holder.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Holdere, Holdare, and Holdor, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Pipe Rolls of 1381 record a John Holder in Gloucestershire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was often associated with manorial estates and landholdings. In the 15th century, the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk mentioned a John Holder, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire listed a Thomas Holder in 1524.
Notable individuals with the surname HOLDER include Sir John Holder (1616-1695), an English merchant and landowner in Barbados, who played a significant role in the establishment of the British sugar industry in the Caribbean. William Holder (1616-1698) was a renowned English musician, composer, and writer on music theory.
In the 18th century, Christopher Holder (1701-1759) was a prominent English Quaker minister and author, while Charles Holder (1770-1853) was a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor of Grenada.
The 19th century saw the rise of James Holder (1808-1904), a British engineer and inventor who developed important improvements in the design and construction of steam engines and locomotives.
Throughout its history, the surname HOLDER has been associated with various occupations, from landowners and estate managers to merchants, soldiers, and inventors, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and roles of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holder
Among Census respondents with the surname Holder, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Holder 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 Holder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 22,399
- Black or African American20.6% · 6,574
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,289
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 1,273
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 198
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holder
Holder 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
#1,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,465
+999 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 11.34
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,959
-1,506 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 10.69
Rank movement Down 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #978 | 32,466 | 12.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,040 | 33,465 | 11.34 | +999 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,078 | 31,959 | 10.69 | -1,506 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 38 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 Holder 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 | #1,040 | #1,078 | -3.7% |
| Count | 33,465 | 31,959 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 11.34 | 10.69 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holder bearers went from 33,465 to 31,959 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,040 to #1,078.
FAQ
Holder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holder?
Name Census estimates that about 36,648 living Americans carry the surname Holder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,353 residents.
How common is Holder?
Holder ranks #1,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,959 people with the surname Holder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,648), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Holder.
Has Holder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holder went from 33,465 recorded bearers to 31,959. That is a decrease of 1,506 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,040 to #1,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Holder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holder, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Holder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (22,399 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (20.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Holder (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 Holder mean?
An occupational surname for a tenant or owner of land or dwellings. 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 Holder (10.69 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 Americans have the surname Holder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.