2000
#329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 84,710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 31.40
Uncommon Last name
Holt
A topographical surname referring to someone who lived near or in a small wood or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 94,624 Americans carry the last name Holt. That puts it at #380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holt 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 Holt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
95K
1 in 3,622
Census rank
#380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
83K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 82,517 bearers of the surname Holt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holt, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holt
The surname Holt is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old English word "holt," which means a wood or a grove. The name likely originated as a way to identify someone who lived near or in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holt can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the surname Holt, indicating that the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
The surname Holt has its roots in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, where the name was prevalent during the Middle Ages. It was often associated with specific locations or place names that incorporated the word "holt," such as Holton, Holtby, or Holcombe.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the surname Holt was Sir Thomas Holt, who lived in the 14th century and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1349. Another notable figure with this surname was Sir John Holt (1642-1710), an English lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of England from 1689 to 1709.
In the realm of literature, the name Holt has been associated with several notable figures. One such individual was John Holt (1642-1708), an English writer and philosopher who was a prominent advocate of religious tolerance and freedom of expression. Another literary figure with this surname was Henry Holt (1840-1926), an American publisher who founded the publishing house Henry Holt and Company.
The surname Holt has also been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields. One example is Sir John Holt (1887-1960), a British civil engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. Another notable bearer of the name is Benjamin Holt (1849-1920), an American inventor and entrepreneur who pioneered the development of the first practical track-laying tractor, which became known as the Caterpillar tractor.
While the surname Holt has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and the diaspora of English-speaking populations. Today, the name can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holt
Among Census respondents with the surname Holt, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Holt 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 Holt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 63,092
- Black or African American14.5% · 11,945
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,639
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 2,540
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 690
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 611
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holt
Holt 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
#358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 87,531
+2,821 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 29.67
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 82,517
-5,014 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 27.61
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #329 | 84,710 | 31.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #358 | 87,531 | 29.67 | +2,821 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #380 | 82,517 | 27.61 | -5,014 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 22 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 Holt 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 | #358 | #380 | -6.1% |
| Count | 87,531 | 82,517 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 29.67 | 27.61 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holt bearers went from 87,531 to 82,517 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #358 to #380.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holt
FAQ
Holt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holt?
Name Census estimates that about 94,624 living Americans carry the surname Holt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,622 residents.
How common is Holt?
Holt ranks #380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 82,517 people with the surname Holt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (94,624), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Holt.
Has Holt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holt went from 87,531 recorded bearers to 82,517. That is a decrease of 5,014 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #358 to #380.
What does the Census say about the background of Holt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holt, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Holt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (63,092 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (14.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Holt (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 Holt mean?
A topographical surname referring to someone who lived near or in a small wood or 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 Holt (27.61 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 last name Holt?
See how common the surname Holt is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.