The Hollis surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 28,617 people carried this name — #1,233 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,300 people counted. That is up 4% from 27,597 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Hollis surname

English topographical surname from the noun holly.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Hollis» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the hollins’.

His entry covers Hollis and Holliss.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 393 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Hollis was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Hampshire: 21 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 476. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Hampshire 21
Oxfordshire 15
Staffordshire 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

53 families named Hollis, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 310 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. 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

Massachusetts 20
South Carolina 8
Pennsylvania 7
Maryland 7
North Carolina 7
New York 2
Maine 1
Connecticut 1

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. 246 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Hollis in American newspapers,
1874–1907.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Hollis
The Birmingham Age-herald 1907-05-25
Newspaper page from The Cairo Bulletin carrying the name Hollis
The Cairo Bulletin 1874-10-29
Newspaper page from The Farmer And Mechanic carrying the name Hollis
The Farmer And Mechanic 1902-11-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 157,857 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Hollis in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

24,781 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hollis. The most, 5,714, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 12,314
Victoria 3,902
South Australia 2,659
Western Australia 2,556
Queensland 2,196
Tasmania 916
ACT (Canberra) 186
Northern Territory 9

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

Who carried it

People named Hollis,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Warren Hollis
    John Warren Hollis 1812–1896 · politician
  • Norton Eugene Hollis
    Norton Eugene Hollis 1840– · politician
  • Angela Hollis d. 1985 · aristocrat
  • Magnus O Hollis d. 1899
  • Isaac Hollis 1699–1774 · philanthropist
  • Ann Hollis 1760–1843

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Hollis,
in the records of 6 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 States1,804 records

1,804 records of the Hollis name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 895
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 385
  • Other U.S. records 524
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Fay Hollis

    Born 1937; from Bremerton, Washington. U.S. Army, special forces; died in an accident 1972 in Pleiku, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 John W. Hollis

    Born 1917 in Iowa. Enlisted 1940 at Roff, Oklahoma; construction worker from Pontotoc County, Oklahoma. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Memorial Park of Ada, Oklahoma.

    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 Ida M. Hollis

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Rome from Glasgow and Moville, aged 31; tourist. From Glasgow; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 1,804 records for Hollis in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia602 records

602 records of the Hollis name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 260
  • Tasmanian Names Index 145
  • Other Australian records 197
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Eliza Jane Hollis

    Born 1858 in Hamilton, Tasmania. Married 1879 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edward Hollis

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Countess of Harcourt, arriving 1828; ticket of leave 1833. Native of Staffordshire.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Hollis

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Erasmus, aged 42; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 602 records for Hollis in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada229 records

229 records of the Hollis name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 210
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 6
  • Other Canadian records 13
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Hollis

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Weston, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Hollis

    Buried in 1982 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 79.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Hiram Hollis

    Died 1874 in Hants, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 229 records for Hollis in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom47 records

47 records of the Hollis name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 36
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 10
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Hollis

    Buried in 1820 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 21.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. S. Hollis

    King's (Liverpool Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eleanor Hollis

    Buried in 1817 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 31.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 47 records for Hollis in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand14 records

14 records of the Hollis name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 9
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jessie May Hollis

    Buried in 1974 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 80.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Francis Hollis

    Died 1996, aged 68; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Agnes Hollis

    Buried in 1901 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 68.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Hollis in New Zealand.

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Hollis name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Barber Hollis

    Married in 1675 in Purmerend.

    Open Archives, Waterlands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hollis.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hollis 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.

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