NameCensus.

UK surname

Holms

A locative surname referring to someone who lived near a meadow or island.

In the 1881 census there were 847 people recorded with the Holms surname, ranking it #4,455 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 173, ranked #21,561, down from #4,455 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost, Govan Combination and Kilmalcolm. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ18, IZ02 and Greater Lochgilphead.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holms is 932 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 79.6%.

1881 census count

847

Ranked #4,455

Modern count

173

2016, ranked #21,561

Peak year

1861

932 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holms had 847 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,455 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 173 in 2016, ranked #21,561.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 932 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Holms surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Holms surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holms 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 827 #3,265
1861 historical 932 #2,977
1881 historical 847 #4,455
1891 historical 709 #5,541
1901 historical 327 #10,966
1911 historical 175 #16,246
1997 modern 153 #20,868
1998 modern 151 #21,578
1999 modern 152 #21,636
2000 modern 163 #20,657
2001 modern 156 #20,974
2002 modern 164 #20,687
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 146 #22,202
2005 modern 149 #21,866
2006 modern 151 #21,818
2007 modern 144 #22,804
2008 modern 139 #23,635
2009 modern 150 #22,937
2010 modern 173 #21,327
2011 modern 163 #21,983
2012 modern 162 #22,078
2013 modern 170 #21,726
2014 modern 173 #21,639
2015 modern 174 #21,449
2016 modern 173 #21,561

Geography

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Where Holms' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost, Govan Combination, Kilmalcolm, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ18, IZ02, Greater Lochgilphead, Nitshill and Shettleston North. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Brampton (including Midgeholme) and Lanercost Cumberland
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Kilmalcolm Renfrew
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ18 West Dunbartonshire
2 IZ02 West Dunbartonshire
3 Greater Lochgilphead Argyll and Bute
4 Nitshill Glasgow City
5 Shettleston North Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holms

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holms

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Holms surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Holms household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Holms is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Holms is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Holms falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Holms

The surname HOLMS originated in England, with earliest records tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word 'holmr', meaning a small island or dry ground surrounded by water or marsh. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or on such a land formation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named William de Holme in Yorkshire. The spelling variations at the time included Holme,Holm, Hulme, and Hullam.

In the 13th century, records show a Richard de Holme in the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire in 1223. The name is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, listing a Henry de Holme in Oxfordshire.

During the 14th century, there are references to a John de Holme in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379. Additionally, the Poll Tax Returns of 1381 mention a Walter atte Holme in Sussex.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the form of William Holms, who was born in Lancashire around 1420 and served as a Member of Parliament for Preston in 1472.

Notable individuals with the surname HOLMS include:

1. Thomas Holms (1552-1625), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1592 to 1595.

2. John Holms (1605-1663), an English writer and translator who published works on history and theology.

3. Edward Holms (1697-1782), a British naval officer who served as the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1758 to 1763.

4. Thomas Holms (1804-1887), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 14th Governor of Indiana from 1861 to 1865.

5. Oliver Wendell Holms Jr. (1841-1935), a renowned American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holms families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holms 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. Renfrewshire leads with 168 Holms' recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.33x.

County Total Index
Renfrewshire 168 26.33x
Lanarkshire 117 4.39x
Yorkshire 92 1.13x
Middlesex 64 0.78x
Lincolnshire 38 2.89x
Lancashire 26 0.27x
Hampshire 24 1.42x
Surrey 22 0.55x
Warwickshire 22 1.06x
Durham 20 0.82x
Nottinghamshire 20 1.80x
Staffordshire 18 0.65x
Ayrshire 17 2.76x
Northumberland 15 1.22x
Cumberland 14 1.98x
Devon 13 0.76x
Kent 12 0.43x
Derbyshire 11 0.85x
Essex 11 0.68x
Dunbartonshire 9 4.07x
Midlothian 9 0.82x
Suffolk 8 0.80x
Northamptonshire 7 0.90x
Westmorland 7 3.87x
Fife 6 1.23x
Leicestershire 6 0.66x
Roxburghshire 6 4.02x
Gloucestershire 5 0.31x
Kirkcudbrightshire 5 4.20x
Selkirkshire 5 6.71x
Sussex 5 0.36x
Cheshire 4 0.22x
Dumfriesshire 4 2.20x
Stirlingshire 4 1.32x
Berkshire 3 0.49x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.60x
Buteshire 3 6.01x
Perthshire 3 0.81x
Somerset 3 0.23x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.38x
Glamorgan 2 0.14x
Ross-shire 2 0.88x
Wigtownshire 2 1.83x
Argyllshire 1 0.44x
Banffshire 1 0.59x
Denbighshire 1 0.32x
Dorset 1 0.19x
Morayshire 1 0.78x
Norfolk 1 0.08x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 48 Holms' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.12x.

Place Total Index
Barony 48 7.12x
Kilbarchan 32 165.12x
Abbey 27 27.74x
Paisley Middle Church 26 69.99x
Glasgow 25 5.29x
Paisley High Church 18 35.43x
Paisley Low Church 17 84.16x
Govan 16 2.43x
West Greenock 12 10.48x
Gainsborough 10 32.23x
Renfrew 10 47.46x
Avondale 9 57.80x
Eling 9 52.66x
New Monkland 9 11.43x
Northowram 9 15.73x
Harborne 8 8.98x
Hornsey 8 7.68x
Inverkip 8 53.19x
Kilbirnie 8 54.05x
Little Cawthorpe 8 1702.13x
Staveley 8 34.97x
Thornley 8 90.29x
Warrington 8 6.91x
Aston 7 1.22x
Bethnal Green London 7 1.96x
Bradfield 7 22.26x
Brightside Bierlow 7 4.37x
East Greenock 7 11.62x
Great Grimsby 7 8.38x
Honley 7 49.02x
Plympton Maurice 7 216.05x
Port Glasgow 7 22.69x
Row 7 24.46x
Wolstanton 7 8.29x
Workington 7 17.25x
Bermondsey 6 2.45x
Binchester 6 4000.00x
Birmingham 6 0.87x
Ecclesfield 6 10.03x
Edinburgh St Georges 6 26.21x
Kendal 6 18.12x
Linthorpe 6 12.32x
Radcliffe 6 12.74x
Southcoates 6 13.25x
Balmaghie 5 191.57x
Beath 5 32.47x
Bulwell 5 20.72x
Calverton 5 142.45x
Denaby 5 108.46x
Frithville Fishtoft 5 520.83x
Largs 5 34.44x
Longbenton 5 9.64x
Markfield 5 110.38x
Melrose 5 38.79x
Melrose 5 26.67x
Mile End Old Town London 5 2.85x
Paddington London 5 1.65x
Pakefield 5 200.80x
Peterborough 5 8.92x
Sculcoates 5 3.87x
Sharlston 5 93.46x
St George Hanover Square 5 3.45x
Tottenham 5 3.81x
Tynemouth 5 7.62x
Chelsea London 4 1.61x
Eagle 4 307.69x
Edgbaston 4 6.21x
Elswick 4 4.09x
Foulness 4 200.00x
Kensington London 4 0.87x
Lambeth 4 0.56x
Linthwaite 4 23.32x
Newington 4 17.80x
Nottingham St Mary 4 1.39x
Rutherglen 4 10.24x
Scrooby 4 727.27x
Shoreditch London 4 1.12x
Speldhurst 4 27.97x
Tanworth 4 72.86x
West Ham 4 1.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 29
Elizabeth 20
Sarah 20
Jane 11
Ann 9
Emma 9
Hannah 9
Eliza 8
Margaret 7
Annie 6
Ellen 6
Emily 6
Alice 5
Catherine 4
Edith 4
Florence 4
Martha 4
Caroline 3
Clara 3
Harriet 3
Ada 2
Beatrice 2
Esther 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Harriett 2
Isabella 2
Kate 2
Lilian 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Bessie 1
Bettsey 1
Betty 1
Charllot 1
Daisy 1
Dora 1
Edde 1
Elzia 1
Emley 1
Ester 1
Georgina 1
Hanah 1
Hariet 1
Hilleen 1
Jesse 1
Julia 1
Kezia 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 31
William 31
Thomas 20
George 18
Henry 12
James 11
Alfred 8
Charles 7
Frederick 6
Edward 5
Harry 5
Joseph 5
Robert 5
Arthur 4
Samuel 4
Albert 3
Geo. 3
Mark 3
Richard 3
David 2
Frank 2
Georg 2
Henery 2
Jacob 2
Stephen 2
Tom 2
Blythe 1
Clement 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Ebenezer 1
Edmund 1
Elisha 1
Ely 1
Enoch 1
Fitzgerald 1
Fredrick 1
Gorge 1
Hary 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Jessie 1
Jno. 1
Joshuah 1
Kitchen 1
Michael 1
Norman 1
Phineas 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Holms surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holms surname in 1881?

In 1881, 847 people were recorded with the Holms surname. That placed it at #4,455 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holms surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 173 in 2016. That gives Holms a modern rank of #21,561.

What does the Holms surname mean?

A locative surname referring to someone who lived near a meadow or island.

What does the Holms map show?

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