Explore the Family Name Holness

The meaning of Holness

English (Kent): habitational name from a lost Holmherst in Smarden (Kent), from Old English holegn ‘holly’ + hyrst ‘hillock, copse’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Holness has seen a significant increase in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 24,892nd most popular surname, while by 2010 it had risen to 20,601st place. This represents a substantial rise of 17.24% over the decade. Additionally, the number of individuals bearing this surname expanded from 938 in 2000 to 1,286 in 2010, marking an impressive growth rate of 37.1%. When adjusted for population growth, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 also increased by 25.71%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#24,892	#20,601	17.24%
Count	938	1,286	37.1%
Proportion per 100k	0.35	0.44	25.71%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Holness

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Holness also experienced changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest group identified as Black, representing 77.29% in 2000 and increasing slightly to 79.63% in 2010. The second-largest ethnicity associated with this name was Hispanic, which grew from 7.46% in 2000 to 10.50% in 2010, a rise of 40.75%. Those identifying as White reduced from 8.53% to 5.13%, a decrease of 39.86%. Individuals reporting as having two or more races decreased from 5.65% to 3.97%. No individuals bearing the Holness surname identified themselves as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native during either census period.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	77.29%	79.63%	3.03%
Hispanic	7.46%	10.5%	40.75%
White	8.53%	5.13%	-39.86%
Two or More Races	5.65%	3.97%	-29.73%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%