Explore the Family Name Hollow

The meaning of Hollow

English (Cornwall): topographic name for someone who lived in or by a hollow, from Middle English holgh, holwe, holouʒ ‘hole, hollow, burrow’ (Old English holh). Compare Hole.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Hollow in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Hollow" has seen a slight decrease in popularity in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 53,782 in terms of common surnames, but by 2010, it had slipped to 61,436, a decline of over 14%. The count of people bearing the surname also fell from 360 to 327 during this period, a drop of more than 9%. Simultaneously, the proportion of individuals with the surname Hollow per 100,000 people in the population decreased by 15.38%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#53,782	#61,436	-14.23%
Count	360	327	-9.17%
Proportion per 100k	0.13	0.11	-15.38%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hollow

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that there was a significant shift among those carrying the surname Hollow between 2000 and 2010. While the majority identified as White (81.67% in 2000 and 77.37% in 2010), there was a notable increase in those identifying as Black, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaskan Native. The percentage of individuals identifying as Black increased from 4.44% to 6.42%, a rise of more than 44%. Similarly, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic grew from 1.94% to 2.45%, an increase of more than 26%. American Indian and Alaskan Native representation also increased from 10.56% to 13.15%, up by almost 25%. There was no change in the number of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Two or more races.

	2000	2010	Change
White	81.67%	77.37%	-5.27%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	10.56%	13.15%	24.53%
Black	4.44%	6.42%	44.59%
Hispanic	1.94%	2.45%	26.29%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%