NameCensus.

UK surname

Hollins

Derived from a place name meaning "holly trees" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near hollies.

In the 1881 census there were 1,575 people recorded with the Hollins surname, ranking it #2,687 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,831, ranked #3,461, down from #2,687 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Burslem and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hollins is 1,971 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.3%.

1881 census count

1,575

Ranked #2,687

Modern count

1,831

2016, ranked #3,461

Peak year

1911

1,971 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hollins had 1,575 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,687 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,831 in 2016, ranked #3,461.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,971 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hollins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hollins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hollins 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 1,124 #2,505
1861 historical 1,223 #2,330
1881 historical 1,575 #2,687
1891 historical 1,718 #2,640
1901 historical 1,917 #2,751
1911 historical 1,971 #2,518
1997 modern 1,616 #3,668
1998 modern 1,899 #3,294
1999 modern 1,910 #3,305
2000 modern 1,889 #3,320
2001 modern 1,842 #3,324
2002 modern 1,877 #3,337
2003 modern 1,839 #3,334
2004 modern 1,807 #3,383
2005 modern 1,774 #3,414
2006 modern 1,791 #3,389
2007 modern 1,803 #3,400
2008 modern 1,806 #3,427
2009 modern 1,859 #3,415
2010 modern 1,891 #3,438
2011 modern 1,836 #3,472
2012 modern 1,783 #3,512
2013 modern 1,799 #3,532
2014 modern 1,811 #3,538
2015 modern 1,820 #3,494
2016 modern 1,831 #3,461

Geography

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Where Hollins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Burslem, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Burslem Staffordshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Staffordshire 002 East Staffordshire
2 Stoke-on-Trent 028 Stoke-on-Trent
3 East Staffordshire 006 East Staffordshire
4 East Staffordshire 003 East Staffordshire
5 Stafford 001 Stafford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hollins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hollins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hollins, 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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hollins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hollins is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hollins falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hollins is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hollins

The surname Hollins originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "hol" meaning a hollow or sunken place, and "ingas" signifying a people or tribe. It is a locational name, referring to people who hailed from a particular area characterized by hollows or low-lying lands.

One of the earliest records of this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Holins." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest, with its bearers potentially residing in areas like Hollingworth in Cheshire or Hollington in Sussex.

During the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "de Holin," "de Holyn," and "de Hollyne," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in medieval times. These variations likely arose due to differences in local dialects and the inconsistent nature of written records.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Hollins, a prominent landowner and knight from Nottinghamshire, who lived in the late 14th century. Another historical figure was Richard Hollins, a merchant from Bristol who served as the city's Mayor in 1483.

In the 16th century, the surname took on its more modern spelling of "Hollins," as evidenced in the records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, where the baptism of a child named Thomas Hollins was recorded in 1587.

During the 17th century, the name spread across various counties in England, with notable bearers including William Hollins (1594-1676), a wealthy landowner and Justice of the Peace in Staffordshire, and Robert Hollins (1631-1697), a clergyman and author from Lancashire.

The 18th century saw the rise of several influential individuals with the Hollins surname, such as Samuel Hollins (1718-1789), a prosperous merchant and landowner in Yorkshire, and John Hollins (1749-1828), a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London.

As the centuries progressed, the Hollins name continued to spread across England and beyond, with some bearers emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins remain firmly rooted in the English countryside, where the hollows and low-lying lands gave rise to this distinctive surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hollins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hollins 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. Staffordshire leads with 560 Hollins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.84x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 560 10.84x
Warwickshire 222 5.75x
Lancashire 177 0.97x
Yorkshire 112 0.74x
Cheshire 64 1.89x
Middlesex 57 0.37x
Hampshire 49 1.56x
Surrey 43 0.58x
Flintshire 42 10.21x
Worcestershire 33 1.65x
Gloucestershire 26 0.87x
Derbyshire 23 0.96x
Kent 21 0.40x
Shropshire 20 1.51x
Leicestershire 13 0.77x
Somerset 13 0.53x
Nottinghamshire 12 0.58x
Durham 11 0.24x
Dorset 9 0.90x
Monmouthshire 8 0.72x
Cambridgeshire 7 0.72x
Sussex 7 0.27x
Berkshire 6 0.52x
Cornwall 5 0.29x
Orkney 5 2.97x
Northumberland 4 0.18x
Hertfordshire 3 0.28x
Lincolnshire 3 0.12x
Northamptonshire 3 0.21x
Devon 2 0.06x
East Lothian 2 0.99x
Essex 2 0.07x
Herefordshire 2 0.32x
Lanarkshire 2 0.04x
Argyllshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 138 Hollins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.19x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 138 25.19x
Aston 84 7.90x
Birmingham 77 5.99x
Leigh 32 932.94x
Wolstanton Knutton 31 98.29x
Newcastle Under Lyme 28 30.63x
Burslem 25 16.89x
Caverswall 23 85.63x
Wolverhampton 23 5.79x
Hawarden 22 68.07x
Stoke 22 289.47x
Stafford St Mary 21 28.72x
Wolstanton 19 12.11x
Coventry St Michael 17 13.71x
Newington 17 3.01x
Rugeley 17 45.86x
Southampton St Mary 17 8.62x
Stone 17 25.73x
Widnes 16 12.21x
Audley 15 29.34x
Leeds 15 1.75x
Monks Coppenhall 14 10.98x
Blackley 13 40.83x
Burton Upon Trent 13 10.76x
Hawarden Ewloe Town 13 292.79x
Keele 13 236.79x
Portsea 13 2.11x
Walsall Foreign 13 4.87x
Toxteth Park 12 1.95x
Chadderton 10 11.26x
Coventry Holy Trinity 10 8.68x
Habergham Eaves 10 6.02x
Lambeth 10 0.75x
Madeley 10 77.64x
Mansfield Woodhouse 10 72.83x
Rocester 10 156.25x
Trentham 10 22.76x
Balterley 9 647.48x
Bradfield 9 15.39x
Deptford St Paul 9 2.23x
Failsworth 8 19.25x
Fordingbridge 8 46.89x
Heaton Norris 8 7.74x
Stockton On Tees 8 3.64x
Aylestone 7 52.32x
Burnage 7 157.30x
Chebsey 7 265.15x
Claines 7 12.76x
Halifax 7 3.14x
Harborne 7 4.23x
Hulme 7 1.85x
Kingswinford 7 3.73x
Stretford 7 7.01x
Wednesfield 7 9.21x
Wortley In Wortley 7 117.45x
Bermondsey 6 1.32x
Bottisham 6 72.64x
Bristol St James In 6 13.59x
Bromley London 6 1.78x
Chatham 6 4.18x
Chideock 6 169.49x
Dudley 6 2.47x
Great Boughton 6 51.50x
Litchurch 6 6.22x
Liverpool 6 0.54x
North Meols 6 3.38x
Oldbury 6 6.10x
Paddington London 6 1.07x
Reading St Giles 6 5.32x
Sheffield 6 1.24x
Timperley 6 51.06x
Uttoxeter 6 22.68x
Westonsuper Mare 6 119.52x
Chepstow 5 26.54x
Clifton In York 5 15.76x
Hammersmith London 5 1.33x
Helston 5 27.76x
Hunslet 5 2.11x
Kirkham 5 20.82x
Whitmore 5 367.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 112
Sarah 71
Elizabeth 41
Hannah 32
Eliza 31
Ann 30
Ellen 26
Emma 25
Alice 21
Annie 20
Jane 20
Harriet 17
Margaret 15
Caroline 13
Lucy 13
Emily 12
Florence 12
Louisa 11
Charlotte 10
Edith 9
Ada 8
Kate 8
Maria 8
Martha 8
Agnes 6
Rose 6
Clara 5
Georgina 5
Gertrude 5
Harriett 5
Lizzie 5
Matilda 5
Amelia 4
Amy 4
Fanny 4
Helen 4
Julia 4
Susannah 4
Anne 3
Bertha 3
Catherine 3
Elizth. 3
Frances 3
Laura 3
Marian 3
Maud 3
Miriam 3
Susan 3
Ernestine 2
Margt. 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 115
John 91
Thomas 67
George 63
Henry 38
Charles 35
James 35
Joseph 29
Samuel 26
Harry 21
Edward 20
Arthur 17
Herbert 12
Alfred 11
Frank 9
Walter 9
Edwin 8
Robert 8
Wm. 8
Benjamin 7
Ernest 7
Francis 7
Frederick 7
Richard 7
Albert 6
Fred 6
Daniel 5
Elijah 5
Peter 5
Willm. 5
Andrew 4
David 3
Enoch 3
Isaac 3
Matthew 3
Thos. 3
Archibald 2
Barton 2
Fredk. 2
Geo. 2
Mark 2
Michael 2
Moses 2
Oliver 2
Tom 2
Amos 1
Cecil 1
Ephraim 1
Felix 1
J. 1

FAQ

Hollins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hollins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,575 people were recorded with the Hollins surname. That placed it at #2,687 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hollins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,831 in 2016. That gives Hollins a modern rank of #3,461.

What does the Hollins surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "holly trees" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near hollies.

What does the Hollins map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hollins 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.