The Holden surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 34,824 people carried this name — #1,008 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,470 people counted. That is up 2% from 34,041 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Holden surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Holden’.

An early record he cites: Magota de Holdene, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Holden, Holding, Houlden, Howlden and Houlding.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 391 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 20 births for the Holden name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin, Waterford, and Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 10
Ulster 5
Munster 4
Connacht 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 38 people named Holden.

Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Nord.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 33
Nord 1
Oise 1
Paris 1
Seine-Maritime 1
Yvelines 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

36 people named Holden live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Schwyz.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Schwyz 8
Vaud 8
Basel-Stadt 5
Bern 4
Fribourg 4
Zug 4
Zurich 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

750 people named Holden are counted in Norway and Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers.

Counted, by country

Norway (2025) 704
Sweden (2022) 46

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Holden was found among the farmers of 4 counties.

It was most frequent in Lancashire: 60 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 167. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 60
Yorkshire, West Riding 12
Suffolk 11
Lincolnshire 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Holden was recorded 25 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 962nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 19. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

155 families named Holden, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 796 people lived in those households, 5.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 65
North Carolina 23
Rhode Island 15
Vermont 12
New Hampshire 11
Maryland 9
Pennsylvania 6
New York 5
Connecticut 4
South Carolina 4
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Holden in American newspapers,
1890–1919.

Newspaper page from The Stark County Democrat carrying the name Holden
The Stark County Democrat 1899-09-12
Newspaper page from Evening Journal carrying the name Holden
Evening Journal 1919-06-06
Newspaper page from The Republican carrying the name Holden
The Republican 1890-11-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,163 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Holden in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

64,900 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Holden. The most, 12,226, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 22,054
Victoria 19,646
South Australia 11,221
Queensland 6,613
Tasmania 2,594
Western Australia 2,194
ACT (Canberra) 384
Northern Territory 72

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Holden.

Who carried it

People named Holden,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Maria Carolina Collins
    Maria Carolina Collins d. 1918 · botanical collector
  • Triona Holden d. 2026 · journalist
  • John Holden d. 2025 · basketball official
  • Richard Holden d. 2014
  • May du Bois Meinell d. 1942
  • Margaret Elfreda Holden d. 1976

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Holden,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,134 records

4,134 records of the Holden name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,165
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 897
  • Other U.S. records 2,072
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Franklin Holden

    Born 1945; from Columbia, Illinois. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Donald W. Holden

    Born 1921 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Snelling; auto mechanic. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Holden

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Wisconsin from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 50; matron. From London, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,134 records for Holden in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,981 records

1,981 records of the Holden name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 917
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 406
  • Other Australian records 658
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ellen Holden

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Rajah, sailing from London in 1841. Native of Belfast, Antrim. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Laurence Holden

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Morley, sailing from Downs in 1822. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1837.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Holden

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Bardaster, sailing from Portsmouth in 1835. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844. Married 1844 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,981 records for Holden in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada450 records

450 records of the Holden name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 333
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 36
  • Other Canadian records 81
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Holden

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Brampton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Anthony Alan Holden

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 59.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Wharton Holden

    Died 1962 in Sandy Point, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 450 records for Holden in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Norway266 records

266 records of the Holden name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Berthine Holden

    Census of 1910: Sandaker, Skoger; housekeeper, born 1892 in Nore, Nummedal.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Esten Holden

    Census of 1910: Holden nordre, Tolgen; retired farmer, born 1833 in Tolgen.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Mathias Holden

    Census of 1910: Hollen, Aalen; miner and farmer, born 1859 in Røros.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 266 records for Holden in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

United Kingdom134 records

134 records of the Holden name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 98
  • Stirling Council burial records 22
  • Other British records 14
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Holden

    Died 1993, aged 86; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Bell Holden

    Buried in 1825 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 56.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John White Holden

    Will proved in 1936; of County of Carmarthen.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 134 records for Holden in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Netherlands39 records

39 records of the Holden name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 21
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 16
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Geertruida Holden

    In the population register of Keulen, Germany; merchant, born 1843 in Keulen, Germany.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Henry James Holden

    Married in 1945 in Achtkarspelen; "scheepsbouwer".

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frederick Holden

    Died 1907 in 's-Gravenzande, aged 39.

    Open Archives, Historisch Archief Westland (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 39 records for Holden in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand35 records

35 records of the Holden name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 21
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 14
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Alister Holden

    Died 1995, aged 79; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Olive Holden

    Buried in 1936 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 58.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 35 records for Holden in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France4 records

4 records of the Holden name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Holden

    Born 1908 in Russia; died 1995 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 4 records for Holden in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Holden name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Holden

    From Cöln-Nippes. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 11 September 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Holden.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Holden is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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