Hollis
Hollis was the 894th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 266 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 292nd; the most babies were born in 1921 (294). Over the last ten years it has moved up 208 places. More babies were named Hollis in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning dweller by holly bushes · English
Say it HAH-lis /ˈhɑlɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #894 boys, up 125 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 266boys
- Girls and boys
- 44% girls, 56% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1921294 babies
- Total since 1880
- 21,512babies recorded
What does the name Hollis mean?
Hollis is an English surname for someone who lived beside holly bushes. Bardsley's dictionary of English surnames (1901) explains it as a worn-down form of Hollins, 'at the hollins', from the Middle English word for holly, and compares other names that lost a final -n in the same way, such as Purkiss from Perkins. Wiktionary likewise derives it from the noun holly, which goes back to Old English holegn. As a first name it is a transfer from the surname and is given to both boys and girls.
holin (Middle English, “holly”)holegn (Old English, “holly”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two sources agree on the holly derivation; a modern surname dictionary check would confirm it.
Related names: Hollins, Holly.
See also: English names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Hollis', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'holly', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Hollis', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Hollis popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,132 | #894 | 206 | 266 |
| 2020 | #1,470 | #1,019 | 146 | 204 |
| 2010 | #3,333 | #1,745 | 49 | 87 |
| 2000 | #6,046 | #2,883 | 18 | 31 |
| 1990 | #2,612 | #1,791 | 45 | 44 |
| 1980 | #3,441 | #1,149 | 24 | 63 |
| 1970 | #2,539 | #906 | 29 | 78 |
| 1960 | #1,510 | #695 | 54 | 128 |
| 1950 | #1,092 | #564 | 71 | 144 |
| 1940 | #1,924 | #409 | 18 | 198 |
| 1930 | #1,725 | #343 | 22 | 268 |
| 1920 | #1,916 | #361 | 21 | 273 |
| 1910 | #1,838 | #385 | 8 | 46 |
| 1900 | — | #379 | — | 35 |
| 1890 | — | #645 | — | 10 |
| 1880 | — | #777 | — | 7 |
How popular is Hollis, counting every spelling?
Hollis has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #863 for boys in 2025, against #894 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Hollis?
266 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hollis (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Hollis born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 32 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hollis.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hollis?
About 7,400 people born in the US named Hollis are alive today, with a median age of 39; half are between 10 and 68. That makes Hollis mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Hollis by state
How common Hollis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (3.6×), Oklahoma (3.6×), Louisiana (3.3×), Arkansas (3.2×), Mississippi (3.0×). In 20 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hollis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hollis, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Hollis · Sibling names for Hollis
Questions about the name Hollis
What does Hollis mean?
Hollis means “dweller by holly bushes” (English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Hollis?
Hollis was the 894th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 266 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 292nd; the most babies were born in 1921 (294). Over the last ten years it has moved up 208 places. More babies were named Hollis in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Hollis a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 44% girls, 56% boys given the name Hollis in the US.
Where is Hollis most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hollis was most common in Alabama (0.47 per 1,000 boys), followed by Oklahoma and Louisiana.