The name of the place goes back to Joe Proud, who settled there with his family in 1882 and named his house after his home in Great Britain. In 1890 he acquired 120 acres of land in the Hollywell and Runaway Bay area . Proud was a member of Southport Town Council for 34 years and Mayor of Southport until 1948 .
population
During the 2011 census, Hollywell had 2,679 residents. Of these, 49.8% were female and 50.2% male. The average age of the Hollywellers is 47 years. That's nine years more than the Australian average. 71.2% of residents were born in Australia. The large minorities come from New Zealand with 7.7%, Great Britain with 6.1%, and Japan, South Africa and Scotland with 0.7% each.