NameCensus.

UK surname

Holman

An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived on an island or near a small river.

In the 1881 census there were 4,235 people recorded with the Holman surname, ranking it #1,057 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,137, ranked #1,320, down from #1,057 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Crewkerne, Wayford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Selby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holman is 5,832 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.3%.

1881 census count

4,235

Ranked #1,057

Modern count

5,137

2016, ranked #1,320

Peak year

1911

5,832 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holman had 4,235 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,057 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,137 in 2016, ranked #1,320.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,832 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Holman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Holman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holman 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 2,820 #1,035
1861 historical 2,718 #1,081
1881 historical 4,235 #1,057
1891 historical 4,498 #1,045
1901 historical 5,142 #1,093
1911 historical 5,832 #894
1997 modern 5,372 #1,213
1998 modern 5,612 #1,208
1999 modern 5,629 #1,211
2000 modern 5,552 #1,230
2001 modern 5,400 #1,235
2002 modern 5,526 #1,234
2003 modern 5,366 #1,237
2004 modern 5,249 #1,260
2005 modern 5,127 #1,272
2006 modern 5,110 #1,278
2007 modern 5,111 #1,294
2008 modern 5,118 #1,299
2009 modern 5,251 #1,299
2010 modern 5,342 #1,303
2011 modern 5,286 #1,297
2012 modern 5,170 #1,299
2013 modern 5,267 #1,299
2014 modern 5,272 #1,303
2015 modern 5,186 #1,311
2016 modern 5,137 #1,320

Geography

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Where Holmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Crewkerne, Wayford and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Selby and Dover. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Crewkerne, Wayford Somerset
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Norfolk 004 North Norfolk
2 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 017 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 018 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Selby 008 Selby
5 Dover 011 Dover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holman

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Holman, 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 Holman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Holman 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, Holman 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

Holman is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Holman falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Holman 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 Holman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Holman

The surname Holman is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow or hole, and "mann" meaning man. Thus, the name Holman likely referred to someone who lived near a hollow or depression in the landscape.

The earliest recorded instances of the Holman surname date back to the late 12th century, appearing in various medieval records and documents. One notable example is a reference to a Robert Holman in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various forms, such as Hollman, Holman, and Holeman, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. It is possible that some variations of the name may have originated from place names, such as Holman in Dorset or Holman's Green in Buckinghamshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Holman surname was Sir John Holman, a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament who lived during the late 15th century. He was born around 1450 and served as the High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1498.

Another notable figure was William Holman, an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1555 during the Marian Persecutions for his religious beliefs. He was a weaver by trade and lived in the city of Norwich.

In the 17th century, the Holman family established themselves as prominent landowners and politicians in Somerset and Devon. Sir John Holman (1602-1681) was a Member of Parliament for Somerset and played a significant role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause.

During the 18th century, the Reverend James Holman (1786-1857) gained recognition as a remarkable traveler and writer, despite being blind from an early age. He published several books detailing his extensive travels across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In the artistic realm, Holman Hunt (1827-1910), whose full name was William Holman Hunt, was a renowned English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a influential artistic movement in Victorian England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holman 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. Devon leads with 585 Holmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.78x.

County Total Index
Devon 585 6.78x
Middlesex 492 1.19x
Sussex 492 7.04x
Cornwall 437 9.31x
Surrey 404 2.00x
Kent 342 2.42x
Norfolk 287 4.50x
Lancashire 156 0.32x
Somerset 154 2.31x
Yorkshire 151 0.37x
Northamptonshire 101 2.59x
Hampshire 95 1.12x
Gloucestershire 87 1.07x
Durham 51 0.41x
Essex 38 0.46x
Warwickshire 37 0.35x
Glamorgan 36 0.50x
Lincolnshire 35 0.53x
Leicestershire 33 0.72x
Buckinghamshire 20 0.80x
Cambridgeshire 18 0.69x
Herefordshire 14 0.82x
Derbyshire 13 0.20x
Northumberland 13 0.21x
Dorset 12 0.44x
Staffordshire 12 0.09x
Wiltshire 12 0.33x
Channel Islands 9 0.73x
Cumberland 9 0.25x
Monmouthshire 9 0.30x
Worcestershire 9 0.17x
Bedfordshire 8 0.37x
Cheshire 8 0.09x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.14x
Denbighshire 7 0.45x
Midlothian 7 0.13x
Royal Navy 7 1.42x
Lanarkshire 6 0.04x
Oxfordshire 5 0.20x
Renfrewshire 5 0.16x
Rutland 4 1.31x
Westmorland 4 0.44x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.08x
Hertfordshire 3 0.11x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.36x
Angus 2 0.05x
Radnorshire 2 0.60x
Stirlingshire 2 0.13x
Argyllshire 1 0.09x
Berkshire 1 0.03x
Suffolk 1 0.02x
West Lothian 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 102 Holmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.23x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 102 7.23x
Camborne 97 50.14x
St Pancras London 75 2.25x
Crewkerne 74 104.39x
Ardingly 63 283.40x
Lambeth 59 1.63x
Worth 55 108.35x
Bermondsey 54 4.37x
Croydon 49 4.37x
Camberwell 47 1.77x
Islington London 47 1.17x
Stoke Damerel 43 7.12x
East Dereham 39 48.42x
Cheltenham 34 5.42x
Shoreditch London 34 1.89x
St Just In Penwith 34 37.33x
Tormoham 33 9.04x
Portsea 31 1.86x
St George Hanover Square 29 3.97x
Kensington London 28 1.21x
South Tawton 28 157.30x
Plymouth Charles The 27 7.10x
Plymouth St Andrew 27 4.06x
St Marylebone London 26 1.17x
Deptford St Paul 25 2.29x
Hampstead London 24 3.72x
Eastbourne 23 7.15x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 23 12.02x
Shipdham 23 106.24x
Tonbridge 23 4.51x
Topsham 23 56.46x
Christow 22 263.47x
Gwennap 22 24.84x
Hellingly 22 93.98x
Bedminster 21 3.35x
Chelsea London 21 1.68x
St Agnes 21 31.94x
West Teignmouth 21 31.80x
Westminster St John 21 4.16x
Bideford 20 21.63x
Bridgewater 20 11.04x
East Hoathly 20 164.47x
Littlebourne 20 185.87x
Ore 19 36.51x
Northwood 18 14.87x
Plympton St Mary 18 36.08x
Ramsgate 18 7.79x
East Stonehouse 17 10.00x
Illogan 17 13.68x
Littleham 17 26.94x
Potterspury 17 108.90x
St Cleer 17 41.76x
Dalton In Furness 16 8.42x
Fordham 16 615.38x
Newington 16 1.04x
Redruth 16 12.05x
Accrington 15 3.35x
Buckland 15 257.29x
Calstock 15 16.29x
Dawlish 15 23.30x
Narborough 15 243.11x
Reigate Foreign 15 6.86x
Rugby 15 10.60x
Westoe 15 2.14x
Wisbech St Peter 15 11.39x
Birmingham 14 0.40x
Barrow In Furness 13 1.94x
Canterbury St Mildred 13 38.73x
Exeter St Sidwell 13 6.58x
Keymer 13 26.33x
Lewisham 13 1.72x
Lindfield 13 43.99x
Mile End Old Town London 13 1.47x
Minster In Sheppey 13 5.55x
Poplar London 13 1.66x
Southery 13 77.24x
Brightside Bierlow 12 1.49x
Cuckfield 12 16.99x
Maidstone 12 2.85x
Wimbledon 12 5.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 283
Elizabeth 167
Sarah 128
Eliza 75
Jane 75
Ann 70
Ellen 67
Annie 63
Emily 62
Alice 56
Emma 55
Louisa 42
Susan 35
Caroline 34
Harriet 32
Edith 31
Charlotte 30
Clara 30
Margaret 27
Martha 26
Florence 25
Kate 25
Maria 25
Hannah 22
Fanny 21
Lucy 20
Agnes 19
Ada 18
Anne 18
Frances 18
Rose 18
Bessie 17
Gertrude 15
Amelia 14
Catherine 14
Grace 14
Amy 13
Elizth. 13
Harriett 13
Jessie 13
Ethel 12
Anna 11
Esther 11
Julia 10
Laura 9
Mabel 9
Minnie 9
Selina 9
Matilda 8
Beatrice 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 292
John 236
Thomas 138
George 129
James 111
Henry 100
Charles 75
Frederick 60
Richard 57
Robert 48
Edward 45
Joseph 42
Alfred 39
Arthur 39
Samuel 37
Walter 36
Albert 33
Harry 26
Frank 24
Edwin 21
Francis 21
Herbert 19
Ernest 16
Benjamin 15
Stephen 15
Daniel 11
Wm. 10
Horace 9
David 8
Thos. 8
Harold 7
Isaac 7
Sidney 7
Fred 6
Geo. 6
Nicholas 6
Peter 6
Chas. 5
Jas. 5
Jesse 5
Philip 5
Saml. 5
Sydney 5
Ebenezer 4
Jonathan 4
Owen 4
Richd. 4
Caleb 3
Leonard 3
Robt. 3

FAQ

Holman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,235 people were recorded with the Holman surname. That placed it at #1,057 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,137 in 2016. That gives Holman a modern rank of #1,320.

What does the Holman surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to someone who lived on an island or near a small river.

What does the Holman map show?

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