Holden
A surname that usually began as a place-name, most likely from an English locality called Holden, meaning “hollow valley” or a similar landscape feature.
The #1,008 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,866 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Holden is generally treated as a locational surname from one or more English places called Holden, especially the estate in Haslingden, Lancashire mentioned by early surname scholars. The place-name is usually explained from Old English elements meaning something like “hollow” and “valley” or a deep, sheltered place, though the precise local formation can vary. In some cases, scholars also noted nearby place-names such as Holden-by, Holden-hurst, and Holdingham as evidence for an old English place-name base.
History
Bardsley described Holden as a local surname and noted that a family of that name had early roots in the Lancashire place. The surname spread widely through the English-speaking world, and variant spellings such as Houlden, Howlden, and Holding are recorded in older sources. Lower also raised the possibility that the name could reflect an ancient personal name in some cases, but the locational explanation is the standard one.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers remarked that Holden had already spread “all over the English-speaking world” by the early 1900s.
From the historical record
“On or ow for o. Cf. Poulson and Powlson for Poison (but sometimes for Paulson pronounced Powle), Howell and Powell for Hoel, Houlden for Holden, Houle for Hole, Hoult for Holt, Boulton for Bolton, Houlgate for Holgate, Houlbrook for Holbrook, Houldsworth for Holdsworth, or Houlditch for Holditch. The ;pretty girl's…”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances