Boy name · Old English
Holden
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a surname and place name meaning deep valleyHolden is a boy's name that comes from an Old English place name meaning "deep valley". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From a surname and place name meaning deep valley
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #297 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Holden
As a boy's name, Holden comes from an Old English place name meaning "deep valley". It is used in English.
Holden is also a surname: the 1,048th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 32,979 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Holden on our nature names list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Holden on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Holden on 1 list.
“Salinger's restless teen, for a moody pup”
From Unique dog names, literary names for dogs
How popular is Holden?
- US rank in 2025
- #297
- 1,140 babies, 667 per million boys
- Best rank
- #217 in 2018
- 1,732 babies that year
- Babies since 1902
- At least 32,507
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 4 per million |
| 1910s | 4 per million |
| 1920s | 6 per million |
| 1930s | 3 per million |
| 1940s | 2 per million |
| 1950s | 2 per million |
| 1960s | 4 per million |
| 1970s | 3 per million |
| 1980s | 28 per million |
| 1990s | 174 per million |
| 2000s | 366 per million |
| 2010s | 695 per million |
| 2020s | 762 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #270 | #242 | #217 | #250 | #227 | #236 | #285 | #286 | #281 | #297 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Holden
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- HolgerIsland spear (Old Norse, boy)
- HaydenHay valley or hay hill (Old English, unisex)
- HodeiCloud (Basque, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- GlenValley (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GlennValley (Scottish Gaelic, unisex)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
- NolanFrom an Irish surname derived from nuall, famous, loud (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
Middle names for Holden
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆlfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
Holden: common questions
What does the name Holden mean?
Holden comes from an Old English place name meaning "deep valley". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Holden a boy or girl name?
Holden is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 6 girls and 1,140 boys in the US were named Holden, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Holden come from?
Holden comes from an Old English place name meaning "deep valley". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Holden?
Holden ranked #297 in the US in 2025, with 1,140 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Holden?
Names spelled like Holden include Holger, Hayden and Hodei.
What middle names go with Holden?
Middle names that flow well with Holden include Ansel, Basil, Ezra, Ford and Jonah. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

