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Boy name · Old English

Holden

Name meaning, origin and popularity

: from a surname and place name meaning deep valley

Holden 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
1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
Babies per million US boys, by decade (the 2020s so far, to 2025). Highest in the 2020s, at 762 per million.
Babies named Holden per million US boys, by decade; highest in the 2020s
1880s0 per million
1890s0 per million
1900s4 per million
1910s4 per million
1920s6 per million
1930s3 per million
1940s2 per million
1950s2 per million
1960s4 per million
1970s3 per million
1980s28 per million
1990s174 per million
2000s366 per million
2010s695 per million
2020s762 per million
US rank by year
Year2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
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.

  • AnselGod helmet (Germanic, boy)
  • BasilRoyal, kingly (Greek, boy)
  • EzraHelp, assistance (Hebrew, boy)
  • FordRiver crossing (Old English, boy)
  • JonahA dove (Hebrew, boy)
  • RhysArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, boy)
  • ScottFrom Scotland (English, boy)
  • ShaneGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)

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.