Show ContentsHollingshead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Hollingshead family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Hollingshead comes from when the family lived in the region of Hollingside or Holmside in Durham. Hollin Old Hall is a house in Bollington, Cheshire, England with parts that date back to the 17th century and Hollin Hall is a country house in Crook in Cumbria that dates back to the 14th century.

Literally, the name originated from the expression 'of the hollins head,' as in "one who dwelt at the head of the hollin-bushes." [1]

Early Origins of the Hollingshead family

The surname Hollingshead was first found in East Cheshire where the area has "given birth to a large number of Hollingsheads from some immediate locality of that name." [1]

By example, some of the early records include: John del Holynshede, 1408: East Cheshire; and Hugh Hollinshead, of Bosley, Yeoman, 1541, both recorded there. [1]

Early History of the Hollingshead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hollingshead research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1529, 1541, 1546, 1550, 1554, 1556, 1560, 1561, 1573, 1574, 1575, 1577, 1580, 1587, 1612, 1635, 1644, 1683 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Hollingshead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hollingshead Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hollingshead has appeared include Hollinshed, Holinshed, Hollinshead, Holinshead, Hollingshead, Holingshead, Hollins, Holins, Hollings and many more.

Early Notables of the Hollingshead family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • He "is said to have been son of Ralph Holinshed or Hollingshed of Cophurst in the township of Sutton Downes, Cheshire, but the pedigree of the Holinsheds or Hollingsheds of Cophurst cannot be traced a...

Hollingshead Ranking

In the United States, the name Hollingshead is the 7,830th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]


United States Hollingshead migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hollingshead arrived in North America very early:

Hollingshead Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Joseph Hollingshead who settled in Maryland in 1684
Hollingshead Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Clayton Hollingshead, who settled in Philadelphia in 1820
  • James Hollingshead, who settled in New York in 1822
  • E Hollingshead, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [3]
  • William Hollingshead, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [3]
  • James Hollingshead, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hollingshead Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Thornton Hollingshead, aged 31, who settled in America, in 1906
  • Harry Hollingshead, aged 46, who settled in America, in 1910
  • John Hollingshead, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
  • Richard Hollingshead, aged 43, who landed in America, in 1911
  • Marriott Hollingshead, aged 41, who landed in America from Cardiff, Wales, in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Hollingshead migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hollingshead Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Anthony Hollingshead U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 [4]

Australia Hollingshead migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hollingshead Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Charles Hollingshead, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [5]

New Zealand Hollingshead migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hollingshead Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Hollingshead, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Swordfish" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 12th July 1859 [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Hollingshead (post 1700) +

  • Megan Hollingshead (b. 1968), American theatre and voice actor
  • Holly Hollingshead (1853-1926), American baseball player
  • Gordon Hollingshead (1892-1952), American movie producer
  • Steven B. Hollingshead, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 5th District, 1994 [7]
  • Ruth F. Hollingshead, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Iowa 5th District, 1938 [7]
  • John Hollingshead (1827-1904), English theatrical impresario
  • Andrea B Hollingshead, American professor in the UIUC (Illinois) Department of Psychology
  • Greg Hollingshead (b. 1947), Canadian novelist

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Alfred Hollingshead, British Engine Room Artificer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [8]


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook