NameCensus.

UK surname

Holmes

An English habitational surname derived from a place meaning "island" or "low-lying land by a river."

In the 1881 census there were 36,415 people recorded with the Holmes surname, ranking it #85 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 50,595, ranked #96, down from #85 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Amber Valley and Lancaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holmes is 52,771 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.9%.

1881 census count

36,415

Ranked #85

Modern count

50,595

2016, ranked #96

Peak year

1999

52,771 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holmes had 36,415 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #85 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 50,595 in 2016, ranked #96.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 49,879 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Holmes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Holmes surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holmes 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 22,596 #93
1861 historical 23,684 #86
1881 historical 36,415 #85
1891 historical 39,758 #80
1901 historical 47,316 #79
1911 historical 49,879 #73
1997 modern 50,521 #86
1998 modern 52,344 #86
1999 modern 52,771 #86
2000 modern 52,178 #86
2001 modern 51,071 #85
2002 modern 51,892 #87
2003 modern 50,655 #89
2004 modern 50,496 #89
2005 modern 49,586 #92
2006 modern 49,437 #93
2007 modern 49,784 #94
2008 modern 49,898 #94
2009 modern 51,080 #95
2010 modern 52,002 #95
2011 modern 51,407 #94
2012 modern 50,352 #95
2013 modern 51,399 #94
2014 modern 51,673 #93
2015 modern 51,010 #94
2016 modern 50,595 #96

Geography

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Where Holmes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Bradford and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Amber Valley and Lancaster. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 023 Bradford
2 Amber Valley 005 Amber Valley
3 Bradford 019 Bradford
4 Lancaster 001 Lancaster
5 Bradford 004 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holmes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holmes

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

Holmes 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

Holmes falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Holmes

The surname Holmes is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words 'hol' meaning a hollow or depression, and 'mann' referring to a man or person. It was initially an occupational name for someone who lived by a hollow or depression in the landscape, such as a valley or ravine.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century in England, with early references found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property rights across much of England and parts of Wales. The Domesday Book records individuals named 'Holeme' in counties like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Holmes is that of William Holme, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194. The Pipe Rolls were ancient records of financial transactions and debts owed to the Crown.

The surname Holmes has also been derived from various place names in England, such as Holme in Nottinghamshire, Holme in Lancashire, and Hulme in Norfolk. These place names share the same Old English root, 'hol' or 'holh,' meaning a hollow or depression.

One notable individual with the surname Holmes was John Holmes, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1599 to 1682. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and was a renowned scholar of his time.

Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Holmes, an English naval officer who lived from 1622 to 1692. He played a significant role in naval battles during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and became the Governor of the Isle of Wight.

In the literary realm, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., an American physician, professor, and writer, was born in 1809 and died in 1894. He is best known for his poetry collections, including "The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table" and "The Professor at the Breakfast-Table."

The surname Holmes also gained fame through the fictional character Sherlock Holmes, created by the renowned author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th century. While Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, the popularity of Doyle's novels has undoubtedly contributed to the recognition of the surname.

Additionally, David Holmes, an American diplomat and key witness in the impeachment inquiry against former US President Donald Trump in 2019, brought further attention to the surname in recent times.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holmes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holmes 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. Yorkshire leads with 9,103 Holmes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.58x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 9,103 2.58x
Lancashire 3,822 0.91x
Middlesex 2,855 0.80x
Derbyshire 2,130 3.82x
Lincolnshire 1,752 3.08x
Surrey 1,313 0.76x
Staffordshire 1,252 1.04x
Nottinghamshire 1,231 2.57x
Durham 1,204 1.14x
Kent 964 0.79x
Warwickshire 800 0.89x
Norfolk 774 1.42x
Leicestershire 657 1.67x
Devon 636 0.86x
Essex 567 0.81x
Cumberland 550 1.80x
Hampshire 495 0.68x
Northumberland 445 0.84x
Cheshire 395 0.50x
Suffolk 394 0.91x
Cambridgeshire 363 1.61x
Gloucestershire 349 0.50x
Lanarkshire 347 0.30x
Renfrewshire 336 1.22x
Worcestershire 336 0.72x
Sussex 329 0.55x
Shropshire 239 0.78x
Berkshire 237 0.89x
Northamptonshire 225 0.67x
Westmorland 217 2.78x
Wiltshire 192 0.61x
Buckinghamshire 169 0.79x
Somerset 150 0.26x
Glamorgan 149 0.24x
Monmouthshire 138 0.54x
Bedfordshire 125 0.68x
Ayrshire 114 0.43x
Huntingdonshire 114 1.61x
Hertfordshire 107 0.44x
Herefordshire 87 0.60x
Midlothian 72 0.15x
Rutland 71 2.72x
Flintshire 61 0.64x
Oxfordshire 58 0.26x
Denbighshire 50 0.37x
Dorset 48 0.21x
Aberdeenshire 39 0.12x
Channel Islands 37 0.35x
Royal Navy 32 0.75x
Isle of Man 31 0.47x
Dunbartonshire 27 0.28x
Caernarfonshire 25 0.17x
Cornwall 23 0.06x
Roxburghshire 22 0.34x
Montgomeryshire 18 0.22x
Ross-shire 18 0.18x
Sutherland 17 0.62x
Anglesey 16 0.25x
Angus 14 0.04x
Morayshire 14 0.25x
Perthshire 13 0.08x
Cardiganshire 12 0.14x
Stirlingshire 12 0.09x
Dumfriesshire 11 0.14x
Argyllshire 10 0.10x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 0.16x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.05x
Fife 7 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.05x
Selkirkshire 6 0.19x
West Lothian 6 0.11x
Brecknockshire 4 0.06x
Inverness-shire 3 0.03x
Nairnshire 3 0.28x
Buteshire 2 0.09x
Berwickshire 1 0.02x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.03x
East Lothian 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 538 Holmes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.70x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 538 2.70x
Keighley 385 10.25x
Nottingham St Mary 304 2.45x
Haworth 274 32.70x
Islington London 274 0.79x
Bradford 271 3.18x
St Pancras London 256 0.89x
Aston 250 1.01x
Bowling 226 6.47x
Birmingham 219 0.73x
Sheffield 206 1.84x
Stoke Upon Trent 200 1.57x
Camberwell 196 0.86x
Manchester 187 0.99x
Preston 183 1.62x
Holy Trinity 182 2.15x
Mile End Old Town London 176 2.32x
Hunslet 175 3.18x
Liverpool 175 0.68x
Lambeth 173 0.56x
Ecclesall Bierlow 168 2.34x
Bingley 167 7.44x
Horton In Bradford 167 3.03x
Brightside Bierlow 165 2.39x
Hackney London 163 0.82x
St Marylebone London 163 0.86x
Everton 158 1.17x
Leicester St Margaret 156 1.62x
Sculcoates 148 2.65x
West Ham 148 0.95x
Barrow In Furness 142 2.47x
Manningham 140 3.22x
Hulme 137 1.55x
Battersea 136 1.04x
Govan 135 0.47x
Kensington London 135 0.68x
Salford 128 1.03x
Portsea 125 0.87x
Newington 124 0.94x
Gomersal 120 7.29x
Oldham 117 0.86x
Wolverhampton 115 1.25x
Derby St Werburgh 114 3.54x
Halifax 114 2.20x
Shoreditch London 112 0.73x
Baildon 109 16.42x
Bethnal Green London 108 0.70x
Paddington London 106 0.81x
Bermondsey 105 0.99x
Chesterfield 103 4.93x
Wortley In Bramley 103 3.69x
Toxteth Park 101 0.71x
Great Yarmouth 100 2.21x
St George Hanover Square 100 1.60x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 99 3.01x
Blackburn 98 0.87x
Nether Hallam 89 1.87x
Thornton In Bradford 89 7.58x
Gateshead 87 1.10x
Chelsea London 86 0.80x
Mirfield 86 4.44x
St Luke London 85 1.49x
Great Grimsby 84 2.33x
Matlock 83 11.10x
Chorlton On Medlock 81 1.21x
Northowram 81 3.28x
Ovenden 81 5.16x
West Derby 80 0.65x
Morley 77 4.20x
Hammersmith London 75 0.86x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 75 1.64x
Huddersfield 75 1.46x
Barony 74 0.25x
Kings Norton 71 1.70x
Radford 71 2.91x
Walsall Foreign 71 1.14x
Heigham 70 2.38x
Middlesbrough 70 1.52x
Deptford St Paul 69 0.74x
Snenton 69 3.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2,494
Elizabeth 1,432
Sarah 1,391
Ann 758
Jane 728
Annie 593
Emma 556
Eliza 525
Hannah 512
Alice 504
Ellen 450
Margaret 383
Martha 373
Emily 347
Harriet 259
Maria 214
Edith 210
Ada 208
Florence 197
Charlotte 196
Fanny 179
Louisa 169
Lucy 152
Clara 151
Isabella 146
Kate 145
Frances 141
Catherine 140
Caroline 138
Anne 129
Agnes 120
Harriett 113
Esther 108
Susan 103
Rebecca 102
Amelia 82
Susannah 81
Rose 74
Sophia 69
Matilda 68
Elizth. 67
Ruth 65
Eleanor 62
Amy 61
Julia 60
Minnie 60
Betsy 59
Grace 56
Gertrude 53
Ethel 52

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2,310
William 2,116
George 1,286
Thomas 1,199
James 1,014
Joseph 759
Henry 684
Charles 591
Robert 489
Edward 387
Arthur 364
Samuel 356
Alfred 321
Richard 296
Frederick 293
Walter 260
Albert 226
Harry 199
Frank 183
Herbert 177
David 154
Ernest 128
Francis 114
Fred 104
Wm. 98
Edwin 95
Isaac 85
Benjamin 76
Thos. 76
Tom 65
Geo. 56
Stephen 56
Daniel 55
Peter 53
Abraham 44
Fredrick 43
Jonathan 40
Willie 40
Fredk. 39
Mark 38
Anthony 37
Chas. 36
Matthew 35
Jacob 34
Christopher 31
Enoch 31
Leonard 30
Ralph 30
Joshua 29
Jno. 28

FAQ

Holmes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holmes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 36,415 people were recorded with the Holmes surname. That placed it at #85 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holmes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 50,595 in 2016. That gives Holmes a modern rank of #96.

What does the Holmes surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from a place meaning "island" or "low-lying land by a river."

What does the Holmes map show?

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