Holmes Surname

1,725th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 318,407 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Northern Ireland

Holmes Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the holm,' from residence upon a holm, an islet in, or a flat land beside, a river. The word as a place name is common all over England. In my old parish (Ulverston, North Lancashire) is an Appletree-holm in the river Crake.

Read More About This Surname

Holmes Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States191,6861:1,891168
England62,8491:88784
Australia21,6541:1,247123
Canada15,8491:2,325263
South Africa4,7541:11,3961,426
New Zealand3,1321:1,446170
Northern Ireland2,9011:63698
Scotland2,8551:1,875345
Ireland2,4121:1,952375
Wales2,0771:1,490140
Liberia7871:5,602673
Jamaica7841:3,661524
Thailand7781:90,79512,696
Ecuador4631:34,3543,962
Saudi Arabia3981:77,52710,981
France3881:171,19326,633
Spain3521:132,81810,077
Germany3071:262,23328,064
Fiji1891:4,732899
Zimbabwe1681:91,89413,153
Brazil1471:1,456,28848,949
Netherlands1451:116,46318,437
Philippines1341:755,50974,327
Portugal1321:78,9263,983
Barbados1211:2,376409
Panama1171:33,4381,894
Nigeria1151:1,540,37258,295
Bahamas1131:3,467416
Indonesia1091:1,213,29585,606
Dominican Republic1001:104,3294,466
Oman1001:36,8802,528
Denmark931:60,6966,147
Nicaragua911:66,1661,597
Singapore901:61,1972,397
Bahrain881:15,3253,085
Japan881:1,452,77624,051
Jersey881:1,127149
Guyana871:8,7611,376
Mexico851:1,460,30815,990
Chile801:220,2066,842
Sweden741:133,0649,401
Guernsey731:883146
Isle of Man731:1,176186
Switzerland731:112,50611,658
India611:12,574,842222,490
Norway551:93,49612,846
Argentina521:821,98954,134
China491:27,904,5221,516
Belgium471:244,60930,321
Malaysia471:627,53730,158
Trinidad and Tobago441:30,9993,171
Iran421:1,828,15567,506
Papua New Guinea391:209,07028,870
Brunei381:11,0191,313
Gibraltar381:894185
Zambia371:428,37620,573
Botswana331:66,27111,607
Israel311:276,05324,632
Czechia301:354,44942,602
Malta301:14,342837
Kuwait291:131,05814,967
Costa Rica281:170,7172,334
Iraq261:1,346,98715,017
Namibia261:92,6698,353
Honduras251:352,6582,892
United States Virgin Islands241:4,599723
Hong Kong201:366,7743,169
Bermuda191:3,436515
Austria181:473,08046,251
Italy181:3,397,594101,426
Egypt171:5,407,98648,093
Greece171:651,75273,285
Cyprus141:63,2056,078
Sri Lanka141:1,486,3269,158
Venezuela141:2,157,43425,468
Belize131:27,3442,013
Guam121:13,3432,098
United Arab Emirates111:832,93427,512
Morocco91:3,830,67854,497
Qatar91:262,00030,726
Hungary81:1,227,03553,030
South Korea81:6,405,0321,091
Poland71:5,429,821146,768
Ghana61:4,503,44915,363
Uganda61:6,506,546123,710
Vietnam61:15,441,0093,090
Afghanistan51:6,430,63727,710
Bangladesh51:31,871,35517,304
Cameroon51:4,153,814129,697
Cook Islands51:3,636866
Finland51:1,099,34045,512
Georgia51:749,10921,598
Grenada51:21,7071,054
Turkey51:15,564,284149,633
Azerbaijan41:2,412,28025,948
Colombia41:11,943,51826,735
Luxembourg41:145,1366,519
Mauritius41:323,35410,053
Mozambique41:6,815,3924,272
Samoa41:48,452659
Tunisia41:152,65617,743
Cambodia31:5,162,38210,688
Dominica31:25,297621
Pakistan31:59,547,962132,569
Slovakia31:1,778,817104,392
Albania21:1,457,02824,967
Algeria21:19,315,77697,017
Bulgaria21:3,489,45264,958
El Salvador21:3,171,9446,376
Ethiopia21:48,773,13129,601
Kenya21:23,089,95083,168
Solomon Islands21:290,01419,875
Taiwan21:11,722,37363,559
American Samoa11:55,7583,072
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Antigua and Barbuda11:99,1712,137
Benin11:10,335,602103,742
Bosnia and Herzegovina11:3,536,40219,532
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Croatia11:4,228,60499,289
DR Congo11:73,879,570260,543
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Guatemala11:16,082,66812,169
Guinea-Bissau11:1,728,021323
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Maldives11:404,1727,269
Myanmar11:51,937,9852,166
Paraguay11:7,236,74616,511
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Seychelles11:92,3931,532
Sierra Leone11:7,089,6311,533
Suriname11:552,6169,664
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Syria11:19,301,02222,457
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
Tonga11:107,313791
Uruguay11:3,431,75838,295
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland2,5021:1,771343
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England34,8931:69971
Scotland1,1101:3,372560
Wales4861:3,227217
Isle of Man311:1,751233
Jersey291:1,789301
Guernsey81:4,082713
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States36,9581:1,359132

The alternate forms: Hölmes (3) are calculated separately.

Holmes (6,332) may also be a first name.

Holmes Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the holm,' from residence upon a holm, an islet in, or a flat land beside, a river. The word as a place name is common all over England. In my old parish (Ulverston, North Lancashire) is an Appletree-holm in the river Crake. 'Holm, place besydone a water; hulmus': Promptorium Parvulorum The word is sometimes found spelt home or holms. 'Homes, probably holms, which signified originally river-islands' (Kennett).

Goscelin de Holme, Suffolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John in le Holmp (sic), Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Robert del Holm, Yorkshire, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

Thomas del Holme, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Adam del Holme, 1379: ibid.

Johannes del Holme, 1379: ibid.

Adam atte Home, Close Rolls, 14 Edward III. pt.

1574. Robert Cooke and Johanna Homes, of Isleworth: Marriage Lic. (London).

1615. Baptised — Alice, d. Thomas Holmes: St. James, Clerkenwell.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Johannes Holmys, capellanus, witness in Ayr, 1460 (Ayr, p. 35), doubtless derived his name from the lands of Holmes near Dundonald in Kyle Stewart. There were also lands named Holmes in the barony of Inchestuir. James Hoomes in 1668 to find caution that he will not harm any of the inhabitants of Inverness (Rec. lnv., II, p. 233).

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

Pl., and genit., of Holm(e q.v.

One of the two (or more) Lancashire places called Holmes is Holmes in A.D. 1212 and Le Holmes in A.D. 1283.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

The English name Holmes is not common in Ireland. The Scottish Holmes, which is found in considerable numbers in all the provinces, especially Ulster, can, like Thompson, be equated with several combinations of Mac and the Christian name Thomas, e.g. Mac Thomáis, which is also anglicized MacCombs. In north Connacht Holmes has been used synonymously with Cavish (MacAvish)

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English) Dweller at, or near, the holly tree, or on a river island, or on, or near, a hill; dweller on a piece of dry land in a fen.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A holme is defined by Halliwell as ' flat land; a small island; a deposit of soil at the confluence of two waters. Flat grounds near water are called holms.'

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

William du Holme, Norm. 1180-95; William de Homes 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). In England it included probably Norman and other families.

The Norman People (1874)

(English), Hollies, Island in a river, Flat land, Meadow sur­rounded by water.

Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

A location name in Lancashire Or from the German, Holm; from the Flemish, Holms; in the Domesday Book, Holmo; personal name From from the Old Norse, Holm, an islet in a lake or river.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Holmes: is not always descriptive of one living on a low island, but comes from La Houlme in Seine-Inférieure.

Family Names And Their Story (1913) by Sabine Baring-Gould

Holmes. —Widely distributed over England, but rare in the south, especially in the south - west. The northern half of England evidently possesses its home, or rather its homes; in the counties of Durham and Derby, in the West Riding, and in Lincolnshire, occur the greatest numbers of the name.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

This surname has toponymic roots. According to some studies it came from the Homem River or possibly from between the Homem River and the Cávado River region.

It's certain that it is a branch of the Pereiras lineage, which came from the Casa de Trastâmara, where came Dom Rodrigo Forjaz de Trastâmara, married to Dona Urraca Rodrigues de Castro and, because of some events, military achievements and after receiving a Real Order, started to use the Homem surname.

It is therefore an antique family, as for using the homem term as for the fact that it came form the Pereira, one of the most antique Portugal family.

- luluk111

Holmes Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Holmes Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Holmes (Bengali: হোমস) is found most in The United States. It can be found as: Hölmes. Click here for other potential spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Holmes? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 1,725th most commonly held surname on a global scale It is held by approximately 1 in 22,888 people. This last name is mostly found in The Americas, where 57 percent of Holmes are found; 56 percent are found in North America and 56 percent are found in Anglo-North America. Holmes is also the 82,794th most prevalent first name world-wide It is held by 6,332 people.

This last name is most common in The United States, where it is borne by 191,686 people, or 1 in 1,891. In The United States it is most common in: Texas, where 9 percent are found, California, where 8 percent are found and Florida, where 6 percent are found. Beside The United States Holmes is found in 147 countries. It is also found in England, where 20 percent are found and Australia, where 7 percent are found.

Holmes Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Holmes has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the Holmes surname rose 519 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 180 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 257 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it contracted 4 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Wales it rose 427 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Holmes Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those bearing the last name is predominantly Catholic (38%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Holmes surname are 6.94% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 53.71% being registered with the political party.

The amount Holmes earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 27.63% more than the national average, earning 441,700 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 38% more than the national average, earning R 327,936 per year; in Colombia they earn 112.17% more than the national average, earning $48,166,800 COP per year; in United States they earn 5.93% less than the national average, earning $40,590 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.63% more than the national average, earning $51,488 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Hölmes943/
Holmesh9277/
Holmess9218/
Hollmes9210/
Hoolmes923/
Kholmes922/
Jholmes922/
Cholmes922/
Holmese921/
Holmesz921/
Holmmes921/
Hoilmes921/
Holme915,309/
Olmes91397/
Hollmees865/
D'Holmes861/
Holmer833,896/
Helmes833,347/
Hulmes83929/
Halmes83485/
Oulmes83207/
Jolmes8388/
Golmes8335/
Cholme8313/
Holmez8310/
Olmesh839/
Holmøe838/
Ohlmes838/
Holmey836/
Holmed835/
Holmis834/
Holmea834/
Houlme832/
Holmet832/
Hollme831/
Hoolme831/
Holmie831/
Oelmes831/
Holmei831/
Olmets830/
Olme80125/
Holmesová803/
Hollmer77331/
Chalmes77173/
Holmhey7732/
Holmyts7723/
Halmess7719/
Holmead7712/
Oolmets7712/
Cholmer7711/
Holmheu777/
Holmeid771/
Hallmes771/
Gollmes771/
Holmehy771/
Helmesh771/
Helmess771/
Kholmeh771/
Holmoey771/
Hoelmis770/
Holmiss770/
Hoolmer770/
Holmeth770/
Halme734,491/
Elmes733,733/
Holma732,007/
Almes73847/
Olmez73561/
Olmer73536/
Holmi73415/
Golme7374/
Ulmes7344/
Olmet7334/
Holmy7318/
Jolme7316/
Holmé7316/
Olmed737/
Olmey736/
Oilme734/
Olmie732/
Ahlme732/
Olmeh732/
Olmis731/
Holmè731/
Olmec730/
Olmesova7130/
Challmes7114/
Hallmets716/
Hellmess712/
Chalmeis711/
Chalmese711/
Holmehøj711/
Chalmeas711/
Chalmesh711/
Chalmess710/
Galmes672,564/
Golmei671,516/
Halmer67722/
Almeus67415/
Helmis67412/
Holmér67366/
Chalme67344/
Holmøy67221/
Halmey67186/
Halmeš67164/
Elmeus67159/
Almesh6766/
Halmet6744/
Holmay6733/
Hoolma6731/
Ellmes6728/
Almeas6725/
Cholma6724/
Hallme6723/
Halmesova6721/
Khalme6721/
Helmeš6718/
Ollmer6716/
Kholmi6716/
Oelmez6715/
Golmez6715/
Goulme6713/
Gollme6712/
Hoolmé6712/
Halmee6711/
Jalmes6710/
Kholmy6710/
Houlma679/
Holmio678/
Elmies677/
Halmei677/
Holmic676/
Osilme675/
Halmeh675/
Haulme675/
Choisilme674/
Holmaa674/
Holmoy673/
Halmis672/
Golmis672/
Halmesová672/
Halmetsch672/
Holmèr672/
Helmez672/
Halmie672/
Olmeit671/
Olmett671/
Elmeis671/
Almeds671/
Atlmes671/
Elmess671/
Almies671/
Holmit671/
Holmma671/
Olmois671/
Halmea671/
Halmøe671/
Elmeas671/
Almese671/
Almeys671/
Almees671/
Halmed671/
Khalmeshe671/
Oulmed671/
Oyleme671/
Almges671/
Jolmei671/
Elmehs670/
Oulmer670/

Holmes Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Holmes in the Bengali language
হোমসhomasa-

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Holmes
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis