Frequency: (240)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. North German: occupational name for a lumberjack or woodcutter, from Middle High German holz ‘wood’ + -er, agent noun suffix.
2. South German (Hölzer): topographic name from Middle High German holz ‘wood’, ‘copse’ + -er suffix denoting an inhabitant.
GIVEN NAMES: German 4%. Hans, Helmut, Ingeborg, Wolfgang.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
