Holiday
A surname usually from a child or person associated with a holy day, especially as a baptismal name or nickname.
The #5,089 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,869 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as coming from Middle English halliday, holi-day, meaning a holy day or festival day. In early use it could be given to a child born or baptized on such a day, or as a nickname for someone connected with the feast. The name is closely related to Halliday and the many other surnames formed from feast days and church festivals.
History
Historical surname collections treat Holiday as a variant of Halliday, and both forms appear in English records. It belongs to a wider group of surnames derived from saints’ days, church feasts, and calendar festivals, alongside names like Christmas, Noel, and Pentecost. The spelling Holiday is less common than Halliday, but it has remained in use and is still found in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers often grouped Holiday with other calendar-based names such as Christmas, Noel, and Pentecost.
From the historical record
“Sliropshire. Also a township in co. York. HOLIDAY. HOLLADAY. See Hal- liday. HOLKER. Tavo townships in Lanca- shire. HOLL. Plolle, without prefix, is found in H.R. HOLLAND. It has been stated on the authority of George of Croylaud, who wrote”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom