The Holcomb surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 28,852 people carried this name — #1,227 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,200 people counted. That is up 1% from 28,668 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

133 families named Holcomb, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 740 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Holcomb, Halcom, Halcomb, Halcombe, Holcom, Holcombe, Holcum, Holkum. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 68
South Carolina 19
New York 13
Massachusetts 11
North Carolina 11
Vermont 6
Pennsylvania 3
Virginia 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Holcomb in American newspapers,
1915–1921.

Newspaper page from The Washington Herald carrying the name Holcomb
The Washington Herald 1921-07-10
Newspaper page from The Grenada Sentinel carrying the name Holcomb
The Grenada Sentinel 1917-07-27
Newspaper page from The Washington Herald carrying the name Holcomb
The Washington Herald 1915-07-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 128,273 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Holcomb in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1960s.

566 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Holcomb. The most, 154, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 259
Victoria 198
Queensland 47
South Australia 27
Tasmania 15
Western Australia 9
ACT (Canberra) 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Holcomb.

Who carried it

People named Holcomb,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Marcus H. Holcomb
    Marcus H. Holcomb 1844–1932 · judge
  • Silas A. Holcomb
    Silas A. Holcomb 1858–1920 · judge
  • Wynn Holcomb d. 1955 · artist
  • Daniel I. Holcomb 1845–1900
  • Charles Henry Holcomb 1859–1920 · botanical collector

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named Holcomb,
in the records of 3 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,841 records

1,841 records of the Holcomb name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,068
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 422
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 159
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 129
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 33
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 9
  • Sacramento County historic burials 4
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Melvin Douglas Holcomb

    Born 1939; from San Jose, California. U.S. Marine Corps, radio telegraph operator; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joe H. Holcomb

    Born 1926 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Bragg; farmer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Fall Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Clementa Holcomb

    Arrived at New York in 1847 aboard the Mediator from London, aged 29; farmer. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,841 records for Holcomb in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia9 records

9 records of the Holcomb name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 5
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Andrew Holcomb

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Nightingale, aged 38; British subject.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Holcomb

    Arrived in Queensland in 1855 aboard the Cambodia, aged 21.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Ray Clevland Holcomb

    Retired of Portland, Victoria; died 1978.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Holcomb in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada3 records

3 records of the Holcomb name in Canada
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alice Holcomb

    Buried in 1959 at Lundys Lane Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario.

    City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Clarence Bird Holcomb

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Holcomb

    Buried in 1977 at Lundys Lane Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario.

    City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls.

Counts: City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Holcomb.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Holcomb is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Holcomb volume
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