Holden

Holden: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “deep valley”
Origin: English
Say it: HOHL-dən · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From an English surname derived from a place name, from Old English hol 'hollow, deep' and denu 'valley'. Also familiar from Holden Caulfield in literature.

English names Names meaning nature Names meaning earth Surname-style names Literary names

How popular is Holden?

2024367 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Holden in 20241,221

2024 rank#281 boys

Peak year2018

Total US babies since 188031,639

Holden has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Holden

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English
Cartercart driver · English
Wyattbrave in war · English
Maverickindependent person · English
Masonstoneworker · English
Graysonson of the steward · English

Holden questions

What does the name Holden mean?

Holden means "deep valley". It comes from English. From an English surname derived from a place name, from Old English hol 'hollow, deep' and denu 'valley'. Also familiar from Holden Caulfield in literature.

Is Holden a boy or girl name?

Holden is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Holden?

1,221 US babies were named Holden in 2024. Its peak year was 2018.

How do you pronounce Holden?

Holden is usually pronounced HOHL-dən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.