Fun Facts About the Name Holden
- More than 32 thousand babies named Holden: U.S. records list 32,785 babies given the name Holden from 1880 through 2025. Even 287 girls received the name Holden - about 1 girl for every 113 boys.
What Does the Name Holden Mean?
Holden is an English name meaning "deep valley" or "hollow valley." It comes from an English surname, which comes from a place name formed from the Old English elements hol, meaning "hollow" or "deep," and denu, meaning "valley." The second element is related to the modern English word dene, a valley. The literal sense is "hollow valley"; "deep valley" is the customary translation. The meaning is topographic, not religious or personal.
Holden Name History & Origins
The name began as an English surname tied to one or more places called Holden, especially in Lancashire. The place name is composed of Old English elements, and the modern spelling reflects the later English pronunciation of that place name. In medieval England, surnames of this type were habitational: they described a person's place of origin. The surname is found in northern England, including Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Holden entered given-name use as a transferred surname, a common pattern in English-speaking countries. It is not a biblical name or a traditional saint's name, and its use as a first name rests on the surname rather than on a religious calendar. In modern English, it is used mainly as a masculine given name. The best-known fictional bearer is Holden Caulfield in J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), a literary association that has made the name familiar to many readers.
How Popular is the Name Holden?
Holden recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2018. Its best rank was #217 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,841 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #7,026 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #7,389 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #9,282 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #5,629 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2020 | #8,137 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #6,827 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #5,220 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #8,477 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #9,087 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #8,634 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #8,218 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #12,420 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #11,623 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #12,598 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #10,714 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #12,885 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #18,553 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #13,119 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #12,251 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #11,029 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #14,526 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #14,160 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #13,793 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #10,706 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #13,021 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #14,213 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #297 | 1,140 | 0.0667% |
| 2024 | #281 | 1,205 | 0.0702% |
| 2023 | #286 | 1,176 | 0.0688% |
| 2022 | #283 | 1,219 | 0.0699% |
| 2021 | #236 | 1,506 | 0.0861% |
| 2020 | #227 | 1,648 | 0.0955% |
| 2019 | #250 | 1,466 | 0.0817% |
| 2018 | #217 | 1,731 | 0.0953% |
| 2017 | #242 | 1,531 | 0.0827% |
| 2016 | #270 | 1,356 | 0.0715% |
| 2015 | #291 | 1,254 | 0.0654% |
| 2014 | #291 | 1,218 | 0.0634% |
| 2013 | #289 | 1,206 | 0.0638% |
| 2012 | #296 | 1,177 | 0.0621% |
| 2011 | #299 | 1,114 | 0.0587% |
| 2010 | #317 | 1,011 | 0.0527% |
| 2009 | #335 | 955 | 0.0482% |
| 2008 | #357 | 877 | 0.0430% |
| 2007 | #378 | 812 | 0.0391% |
| 2006 | #385 | 777 | 0.0378% |
| 2005 | #357 | 830 | 0.0416% |
| 2004 | #371 | 747 | 0.0376% |
| 2003 | #415 | 619 | 0.0313% |
| 2002 | #413 | 614 | 0.0316% |
| 2001 | #443 | 547 | 0.0282% |
| 2000 | #453 | 527 | 0.0268% |
| 1999 | #431 | 542 | 0.0282% |
| 1998 | #417 | 562 | 0.0294% |
| 1997 | #477 | 451 | 0.0239% |
| 1996 | #566 | 323 | 0.0171% |
| 1995 | #598 | 299 | 0.0157% |
| 1994 | #603 | 298 | 0.0154% |
| 1993 | #631 | 267 | 0.0136% |
| 1992 | #693 | 224 | 0.0112% |
| 1991 | #662 | 234 | 0.0116% |
| 1990 | #755 | 182 | 0.0089% |
| 1989 | #820 | 146 | 0.0073% |
| 1988 | #795 | 143 | 0.0075% |
| 1987 | #910 | 107 | 0.0057% |
| 1986 | #1,273 | 58 | 0.0031% |
| 1985 | #3,127 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1984 | #2,742 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1983 | #5,128 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #3,569 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #4,297 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #3,712 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #5,631 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #3,284 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #6,228 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1976 | #4,612 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #4,090 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #4,739 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #3,171 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #3,215 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #3,690 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #2,876 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #4,287 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #2,937 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #3,153 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #3,207 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #3,191 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #2,914 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,382 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #3,341 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,319 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #4,067 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,595 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1951 | #3,529 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,933 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,975 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1943 | #3,761 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,372 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,739 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,276 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,751 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #3,766 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,780 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,902 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,550 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1931 | #2,959 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1929 | #4,248 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #2,941 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1927 | #3,959 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,643 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #2,689 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1922 | #2,702 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1921 | #2,705 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1920 | #2,856 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #4,451 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #4,247 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1915 | #3,594 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1914 | #2,774 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1913 | #3,024 | 5 | 0.0010% |
| 1902 | #1,215 | 5 | 0.0041% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Holden Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Holden's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Holden's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.