2000
#161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 55.67
Common Last name
Holmes
An English habitational surname derived from a place meaning "island" or "low-lying land by a river."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 173,015 Americans carry the last name Holmes. That puts it at #178 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 50.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holmes 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 Holmes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
173K
1 in 1,981
Census rank
#178
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
50.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
151K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 150,877 bearers of the surname Holmes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 50.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 178th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holmes
The surname Holmes is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words 'hol' meaning a hollow or depression, and 'mann' referring to a man or person. It was initially an occupational name for someone who lived by a hollow or depression in the landscape, such as a valley or ravine.
The name can be traced back to the 11th century in England, with early references found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property rights across much of England and parts of Wales. The Domesday Book records individuals named 'Holeme' in counties like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Holmes is that of William Holme, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194. The Pipe Rolls were ancient records of financial transactions and debts owed to the Crown.
The surname Holmes has also been derived from various place names in England, such as Holme in Nottinghamshire, Holme in Lancashire, and Hulme in Norfolk. These place names share the same Old English root, 'hol' or 'holh,' meaning a hollow or depression.
One notable individual with the surname Holmes was John Holmes, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1599 to 1682. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and was a renowned scholar of his time.
Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Holmes, an English naval officer who lived from 1622 to 1692. He played a significant role in naval battles during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and became the Governor of the Isle of Wight.
In the literary realm, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., an American physician, professor, and writer, was born in 1809 and died in 1894. He is best known for his poetry collections, including "The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table" and "The Professor at the Breakfast-Table."
The surname Holmes also gained fame through the fictional character Sherlock Holmes, created by the renowned author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th century. While Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, the popularity of Doyle's novels has undoubtedly contributed to the recognition of the surname.
Additionally, David Holmes, an American diplomat and key witness in the impeachment inquiry against former US President Donald Trump in 2019, brought further attention to the surname in recent times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holmes
Among Census respondents with the surname Holmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Holmes 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 Holmes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.7% · 82,560
- Black or African American36.0% · 54,331
- Two or more races4.6% · 6,932
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 5,143
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,070
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 841
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holmes
Holmes 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
#171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156,780
+6,614 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 53.15
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150,877
-5,903 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 50.48
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #161 | 150,166 | 55.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #171 | 156,780 | 53.15 | +6,614 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #178 | 150,877 | 50.48 | -5,903 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 7 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 Holmes 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 | #171 | #178 | -4.1% |
| Count | 156,780 | 150,877 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 53.15 | 50.48 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holmes bearers went from 156,780 to 150,877 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #171 to #178.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holmes
FAQ
Holmes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holmes?
Name Census estimates that about 173,015 living Americans carry the surname Holmes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,981 residents.
How common is Holmes?
Holmes ranks #178 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 50.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 50 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 150,877 people with the surname Holmes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (173,015), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 50.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 50.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 50 of them to have the surname Holmes.
Has Holmes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holmes went from 156,780 recorded bearers to 150,877. That is a decrease of 5,903 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #171 to #178.
What does the Census say about the background of Holmes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holmes, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Holmes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.7% (82,560 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holmes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.7%), Black (36.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Holmes (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 Holmes mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place meaning "island" or "low-lying land by a river." 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 Holmes (50.48 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 Holmes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.