2000
#13,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,082
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Holzman
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who works with wood, such as a carpenter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,196 Americans carry the last name Holzman. That puts it at #14,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,081 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holzman 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
2.2K
1 in 156,081
Census rank
#14,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,915 bearers of the surname Holzman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holzman
The surname Holzman has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "holz," meaning "wood," and the suffix "man," which indicates a person or occupation. As such, Holzman likely referred to someone who worked with wood, such as a woodcutter, carpenter, or lumberjack.
In the 15th century, the name Holzman appeared in various historical records across German-speaking regions. For instance, a reference to a Hans Holzman can be found in a 1439 document from the city of Nuremberg. Additionally, the name is mentioned in several church registers and municipal archives from the same period.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Holzman was Johann Holzman, a woodcarver born in Augsburg, Germany, in 1512. His intricate woodcarvings adorned several churches and noble residences in the region, and some of his works are still preserved in museums today.
In the 17th century, the Holzman name spread to other parts of Europe as German settlers migrated to various regions. For example, a family with the surname Holzman settled in the town of Gross-Harlbach, in present-day Alsace, France, in the late 1600s. This branch of the family later became prominent in the local wine trade.
Another notable figure with the Holzman surname was Friedrich Holzman, a German philosopher and theologian born in 1765 in Freiburg. Holzman was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation movement and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.
In the 19th century, the Holzman name gained prominence in the United States as German immigrants began settling in various parts of the country. One such immigrant was Johann Holzman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1842 and later became a successful businessman and landowner in the state of Ohio.
Another notable American with the Holzman surname was William Holzman, a civil engineer born in New York City in 1871. Holzman was responsible for designing several iconic bridges and infrastructure projects, including the Queensboro Bridge in New York and the Michigan Central Station in Detroit.
In the 20th century, the Holzman name continued to be associated with various professions and fields. For instance, Winfred Holzman was a renowned American playwright and screenwriter, best known for her work on the classic film "Sunset Boulevard" in 1950.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holzman
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Holzman 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 Holzman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,742
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 77
- Two or more races3.5% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holzman
Holzman 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
#14,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,055
-27 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,096 places
2020
#14,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,915
-140 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 343 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,415 | 2,082 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,511 | 2,055 | 0.70 | -27 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 1,096 places |
| 2020 | #14,854 | 1,915 | 0.64 | -140 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 343 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 Holzman 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 | #14,511 | #14,854 | -2.4% |
| Count | 2,055 | 1,915 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.64 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holzman bearers went from 2,055 to 1,915 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 343 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,511 to #14,854.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Holzman
FAQ
Holzman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holzman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,196 living Americans carry the surname Holzman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,081 residents.
How common is Holzman?
Holzman ranks #14,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,915 people with the surname Holzman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Holzman.
Has Holzman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holzman went from 2,055 recorded bearers to 1,915. That is a decrease of 140 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,511 to #14,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Holzman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holzman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Holzman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holzman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Holzman (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 Holzman mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who works with wood, such as a carpenter. 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 Holzman (0.64 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 are called Holzman?
See how many people are called Holzman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.