How common is the surname Holly?

8,934 people in the United States had the surname Holly in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 34,558 Americans. It ranked 3,979th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Holly?

Lauren Holly, American actress, followed by Ellen Holly.

Where is the surname Holly most common?

Wikidata records people named Holly in the United States.

Is the surname Holly getting more or less common?

More common. 8,856 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,934 in 2010, up 0.9%.

What are other spellings of Holly?

Hollie, Hollee, Holli, Hollye and Holley.

Is Holly also a first name?

Yes. Holly is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Holly

An English place surname, carried by 8,934 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex H400 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Holly is more common than 97.5% of them.

Origin

English origin

* As an Irish surname, calque of mac cuilinn (“holly”) (see McCullen) and sometimes McQuillan. * As an English surname, variant of Holley. * As a Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Holý, Holy. * Also as a locational English surname, from Old English hol leah (“wood, clearing, meadow”), compare Hollywood. * Also as an English surname, short form of Holiday. * Also as an English surname, after the holly tree. * As a feminine given name popularized by Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (especially the 1961 film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn).

Holly is a place surname: taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 8,934 people named Holly in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 34,558 Americans. That is up 0.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,856.

#3,979

rank among US surnames

8,934

people in 2010

3.0

per 100,000 Americans

+0.9%

change since 2000 (was #3,680)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,970	Canady	8,958	34,466
#3,971	Faircloth	8,954	34,481
#3,972	Batson	8,951	34,493
#3,973	Popp	8,947	34,508
#3,974	Dunne	8,941	34,531
#3,975	Keeling	8,938	34,543
#3,976	Teal	8,937	34,547

Who is named Holly

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

66% of people named Holly identified as white (not Hispanic), 28% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 66%
Black (not Hispanic) 28%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.6%
Two or more races 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Hollys

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Lauren Holly
American actress, born 1963
Ellen Holly
American actress, 1931–2023

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Hollie
Hollee
Holli
Hollye
Holley

Surnames that sound like Holly

Holly has the Soundex code H400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H400.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Holly come from?: * As an Irish surname, calque of mac cuilinn (“holly”) (see McCullen) and sometimes McQuillan. * As an English surname, variant of Holley. * As a Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Holý, Holy. * Also as a locational English surname, from Old English hol leah (“wood, clearing, meadow”), compare…
How common is the surname Holly?: 8,934 people in the United States had the surname Holly in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 34,558 Americans. It ranked 3,979th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Holly?: In the 2010 Census, 66% of people named Holly identified as white (not Hispanic), and 28% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Holly?: Lauren Holly, American actress, followed by Ellen Holly.
Where is the surname Holly most common?: Wikidata records people named Holly in the United States.
What type of surname is Holly?: Holly is a place surname, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from.
Is the surname Holly getting more or less common?: More common. 8,856 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,934 in 2010, up 0.9%.
What are other spellings of Holly?: Hollie, Hollee, Holli, Hollye and Holley.
Is Holly also a first name?: Yes. Holly is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.