NameCensus.

UK surname

Holbrook

From the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow and "broc" meaning stream, referring to someone living near a stream in a hollow.

In the 1881 census there were 2,157 people recorded with the Holbrook surname, ranking it #2,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,850, ranked #2,360, down from #2,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Newchurch and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isle of Wight, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holbrook is 3,058 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.1%.

1881 census count

2,157

Ranked #2,062

Modern count

2,850

2016, ranked #2,360

Peak year

1998

3,058 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holbrook had 2,157 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,850 in 2016, ranked #2,360.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,975 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Holbrook surname distribution map

The map shows where the Holbrook surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Holbrook surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holbrook over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,439 #1,998
1861 historical 1,344 #2,129
1881 historical 2,157 #2,062
1891 historical 2,441 #1,930
1901 historical 2,732 #2,033
1911 historical 2,975 #1,746
1997 modern 2,886 #2,238
1998 modern 3,058 #2,201
1999 modern 3,027 #2,243
2000 modern 3,025 #2,228
2001 modern 2,971 #2,219
2002 modern 3,039 #2,217
2003 modern 2,963 #2,220
2004 modern 2,929 #2,242
2005 modern 2,877 #2,254
2006 modern 2,876 #2,257
2007 modern 2,903 #2,254
2008 modern 2,912 #2,266
2009 modern 2,950 #2,298
2010 modern 3,012 #2,296
2011 modern 2,994 #2,281
2012 modern 2,969 #2,251
2013 modern 2,989 #2,279
2014 modern 2,980 #2,299
2015 modern 2,897 #2,327
2016 modern 2,850 #2,360

Geography

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Where Holbrooks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Newchurch, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isle of Wight, Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isle of Wight 016 Isle of Wight
2 Bristol 002 Bristol, City of
3 Isle of Wight 014 Isle of Wight
4 South Gloucestershire 024 South Gloucestershire
5 South Gloucestershire 010 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holbrook

These lists show first names that appear often with the Holbrook surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holbrook

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Holbrook, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Holbrook surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Holbrook household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Holbrook is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Holbrook is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Holbrook falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Holbrook is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Holbrook, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Holbrook

The surname Holbrook is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words 'hol' meaning 'hollow' and 'broc' meaning 'brook'. It was initially a topographic name for someone who lived near a brook or stream that flowed through a hollow or valley.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Aluric de Holbrook, who was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror.

The Holbrook surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where numerous places with names containing the elements 'hol' and 'broc' were located. Examples include Holbrook in Derbyshire, Holbrook in Oxfordshire, and Holbeck in West Yorkshire.

Notable individuals with the Holbrook surname throughout history include Sir John Holbrook (c. 1520-1578), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in 1553. Another prominent figure was Samuel Holbrook (1652-1709), a British theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Holbrook name gained prominence in the American colonies, with several families settling in New England and other regions. One of the earliest Holbrook settlers was Thomas Holbrook, who arrived in Massachusetts from England in 1635.

Other notable individuals with the Holbrook surname include John Edwards Holbrook (1794-1871), an American naturalist and author known for his work on herpetology, and Josiah Holbrook (1788-1854), an American educator and founder of the first traveling educational program in the United States.

In more recent times, the Holbrook name has been associated with several notable figures, such as Hal Holbrook (1925-2021), an American actor best known for his portrayal of Mark Twain, and Ralph Holbrook (1892-1976), an American attorney and conservationist who played a key role in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holbrook families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holbrook surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 266 Holbrooks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.06x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 266 1.06x
Gloucestershire 264 6.39x
Somerset 231 6.82x
Derbyshire 170 5.16x
Hampshire 161 3.73x
Middlesex 154 0.73x
Nottinghamshire 138 4.86x
Kent 91 1.27x
Surrey 83 0.81x
Essex 73 1.76x
Yorkshire 65 0.31x
Shropshire 62 3.41x
Cheshire 61 1.31x
Glamorgan 44 1.20x
Staffordshire 44 0.62x
Warwickshire 27 0.51x
Suffolk 26 1.01x
Worcestershire 25 0.91x
Leicestershire 23 0.99x
Berkshire 14 0.89x
Durham 14 0.22x
Wiltshire 14 0.75x
Devon 13 0.30x
Lincolnshire 13 0.39x
Monmouthshire 13 0.85x
Cornwall 12 0.50x
Dorset 8 0.58x
Lanarkshire 7 0.10x
Midlothian 7 0.25x
Herefordshire 6 0.70x
Norfolk 5 0.15x
Hertfordshire 4 0.28x
Flintshire 3 0.53x
Oxfordshire 3 0.23x
Brecknockshire 2 0.48x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.43x
Sussex 2 0.06x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.08x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.08x
Cumberland 1 0.06x
Fife 1 0.08x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.21x
Northumberland 1 0.03x
Perthshire 1 0.11x
Royal Navy 1 0.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 66 Holbrooks recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.99x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 66 8.99x
Bristol St George 51 26.71x
Warrington 49 16.55x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 48 12.35x
West Ham 41 4.47x
Shalfleet 31 372.60x
Brading 29 50.58x
Lambeth 27 1.47x
Westhoughton 27 40.50x
Spondon 24 189.27x
Timsbury 23 223.95x
Ashby De La Zouch 22 40.67x
Carisbrooke 22 36.73x
Bedminster 21 6.60x
Bathwick 20 53.33x
Ryde 20 21.58x
Portsea 19 2.25x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 18 47.86x
Bristol St James St Paul 17 12.35x
Litchurch 17 12.82x
Chew Stoke 16 318.73x
Lyncombe Widcombe 16 18.03x
Mangotsfield 16 38.88x
Salford 16 2.18x
Shrewsbury St Julian 16 35.56x
St Pancras London 16 0.94x
Toxteth Park 16 1.89x
Birmingham 15 0.85x
Camberwell 15 1.12x
Islington London 15 0.74x
Kilmersdon 14 83.63x
Lowestoft 14 11.56x
Stretford 14 10.19x
Walcot 14 7.76x
Westbury On Trym 14 10.01x
Arnold 13 31.39x
Cameley 13 342.11x
Sevenoaks 13 22.33x
Tutbury 13 75.06x
Basford 12 9.18x
Birkenhead 12 3.24x
Bonsall 12 122.95x
Clifton 12 5.75x
Derby St Alkmund 12 12.15x
South Weald 12 33.72x
Westminster St Margaret 12 11.82x
Acton 11 8.91x
Ardwick 11 4.88x
Aston 11 229.65x
Canterbury St Mildred 11 64.55x
Everton 11 1.38x
Heanor 11 22.32x
Kessingland 11 124.15x
Mexborough 11 26.56x
Stoke Upon Trent 11 1.46x
Aston 10 0.68x
Iron Acton 10 119.90x
Liverpool 10 0.66x
Macclesfield 10 4.84x
Madron Penzance 10 11.54x
Shrewsbury St Mary 10 13.94x
St Marylebone London 10 0.89x
Swansea Town 10 3.33x
Chelmsford 9 12.62x
Croydon 9 1.58x
Hampstead London 9 2.75x
Norbury 9 83.18x
Paddington London 9 1.16x
Plumtree 9 301.00x
Belper 8 12.52x
Brixton 8 224.72x
Derby St Werburgh 8 4.20x
Great Malvern 8 13.95x
Hart 8 52.46x
Holy Trinity 8 1.59x
Langport Eastover 8 163.27x
Newington 8 1.03x
Portsmouth 8 8.05x
Radford 8 5.55x
Tewkesbury 8 21.72x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Holbrook surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 152
Elizabeth 76
Sarah 68
Eliza 45
Emma 41
Ann 40
Ellen 38
Alice 37
Emily 31
Jane 29
Hannah 28
Annie 25
Edith 16
Florence 16
Margaret 16
Maria 16
Martha 16
Caroline 14
Louisa 14
Harriet 13
Charlotte 12
Fanny 12
Kate 12
Amelia 11
Anne 11
Clara 10
Lucy 10
Ada 9
Agnes 9
Minnie 9
Rose 9
Susan 8
Catherine 7
Frances 7
Harriett 7
Beatrice 6
Gertrude 6
Augusta 5
Elizth. 5
Esther 5
Helen 5
Lydia 5
Maud 5
Adelaide 4
Amy 4
Ethel 4
Janet 4
Matilda 4
Anna 3
Carry 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Holbrook surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 147
John 121
Thomas 81
George 78
James 65
Charles 47
Henry 42
Joseph 36
Arthur 24
Samuel 24
Edward 22
Albert 21
Frederick 21
Alfred 20
Robert 18
Richard 12
Walter 12
Edwin 11
Frank 11
Harry 10
Herbert 9
Benjamin 7
Ernest 6
Fredk. 6
Daniel 5
Thos. 5
Wm. 5
Geo. 4
Isaac 4
Nathan 4
Percy 4
Saml. 4
Chas. 3
David 3
Ebenezer 3
Edgar 3
Fred 3
Horace 3
Jno. 3
Jos. 3
Oliver 3
Peter 3
Samson 3
Sydney 3
Willie 3
Ben 2
Earnest 2
Edmund 2
Maurice 2
Richd. 2

FAQ

Holbrook surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holbrook surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,157 people were recorded with the Holbrook surname. That placed it at #2,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holbrook surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,850 in 2016. That gives Holbrook a modern rank of #2,360.

What does the Holbrook surname mean?

From the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow and "broc" meaning stream, referring to someone living near a stream in a hollow.

What does the Holbrook map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Holbrook bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.