Holladay
A surname usually treated as a spelling variant of Holliday, ultimately from the word for a holy day or festival.
The #6,924 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,725 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Holladay is generally understood as a variant spelling of Holliday, from Middle English holidai, meaning a holy day, feast day, or religious holiday. As a surname, it likely began as a nickname or descriptive name for someone associated with a holy day, a festive occasion, or perhaps someone born on such a day. The first element goes back to Old English hālig, meaning 'holy,' and the second to dæg, 'day.'
History
The spelling Holladay appears in English-speaking records as one of several forms of the wider Holiday/Holliday surname family. Over time, the name spread with English migration to North America, where variant spellings became fixed in different branches. In modern use, Holladay is less common than Holliday or Holiday, but it remains an established surname in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it comes from the same root as 'holiday,' the name is one of the more transparently cheerful surnames in English.
From the historical record
“Sliropshire. Also a township in co. York. HOLIDAY. HOLLADAY. See Hal- liday. HOLKER. Tavo townships in Lanca- shire.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom