2000
#4,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.60
Rare Last name
Holloman
A surname referring to someone who lived near a holly tree or in a holly grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,259 Americans carry the last name Holloman. That puts it at #4,759 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holloman 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
8.3K
1 in 41,501
Census rank
#4,759
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,202 bearers of the surname Holloman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4759th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holloman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (43.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holloman
The surname Holloman is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow or sunken, and "mann" meaning man or person. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hollow or low-lying area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known mentions is found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record from 1273, which lists a William Holeman residing in Oxfordshire.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to various places with names similar to Holloman, such as Holman and Holmere, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with slight variations in spelling, such as Holman, Holyman, and Hollyman. These variations likely arose due to the inconsistencies in spelling and recording practices of the time.
One notable individual with the surname Holloman was John Holloman, a Member of Parliament for the borough of Lostwithiel in Cornwall during the 16th century (1558-1603).
In the 17th century, a prominent figure was Thomas Holloman, a successful merchant and landowner in the county of Essex. He was born in 1620 and died in 1692.
Another historically significant individual was Sir William Holloman (1696-1768), a renowned military officer who served in the British Army during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.
The 18th century saw the rise of the Reverend James Holloman (1730-1812), an influential clergyman and author who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Suffolk for over four decades.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was Emily Holloman (1825-1901), a celebrated author and poet whose works gained widespread recognition during the Victorian era.
While the surname Holloman has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holloman
Among Census respondents with the surname Holloman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (43.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Holloman 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 Holloman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.4% · 3,487
- White43.2% · 3,108
- Two or more races4.8% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holloman
Holloman 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
#4,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,536
+533 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#4,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,202
-334 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,633 | 7,003 | 2.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,708 | 7,536 | 2.55 | +533 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #4,759 | 7,202 | 2.41 | -334 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 51 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 Holloman 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 | #4,708 | #4,759 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,536 | 7,202 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.41 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holloman bearers went from 7,536 to 7,202 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,708 to #4,759.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holloman
FAQ
Holloman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holloman?
Name Census estimates that about 8,259 living Americans carry the surname Holloman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,501 residents.
How common is Holloman?
Holloman ranks #4,759 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,202 people with the surname Holloman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Holloman.
Has Holloman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holloman went from 7,536 recorded bearers to 7,202. That is a decrease of 334 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,708 to #4,759.
What does the Census say about the background of Holloman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holloman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.4%. The next largest groups are White (43.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Holloman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (3,487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holloman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.4%), White (43.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Holloman (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 Holloman mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a holly tree or in a holly grove. 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 Holloman (2.41 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 Holloman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.