Holdin
A Welsh name meaning "the sound of ocean waves".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Holdin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Holdin today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Holdin births was 2010 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Holdin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Holdin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2010
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,773
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Holdin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Holdin from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Holdin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Holdin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Holdin
The given name Holdin has its origins in the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples of Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the Viking Age, roughly from the 8th to the 11th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "holdi," which means "flesh" or "body."
In ancient Norse mythology, there are references to the concept of "holdi" as representing the physical form or vessel that houses the soul or spirit. The name Holdin may have been given to individuals who were perceived as having a strong or resilient physical presence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holdin can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of narratives documenting the lives and exploits of Norse settlers in Iceland during the 9th to 11th centuries. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, a character named Holdin Holmgeirsson is mentioned as a prominent farmer and chieftain in the Breiðafjörður region of western Iceland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Holdin. In the 12th century, Holdin Kjartansson was a renowned Icelandic poet and skald, known for his intricate verse compositions. In the 14th century, Holdin Ásmundsson was a respected lawspeaker and chieftain in the Icelandic Commonwealth.
During the Viking Age, a Norwegian warrior named Holdin Eiriksson is said to have accompanied the legendary Norse explorer Leif Eriksson on his voyages to Vinland (present-day North America) around the year 1000 AD. Holdin's name is mentioned in the Vinland Sagas, which detail the Norse explorations of the North American coastline.
In more recent times, Holdin Bjarnason (1916-1988) was an acclaimed Icelandic artist and sculptor, known for his works depicting Norse mythology and Icelandic folklore. Another notable figure was Holdin Halldórsson (1942-2019), an Icelandic chess grandmaster and author who represented Iceland in numerous international tournaments.
While the name Holdin may not be as common today, its historical roots in Old Norse language and culture have left a lasting mark on Scandinavian nomenclature and serve as a reminder of the rich heritage and traditions of the Viking era.
People
Holdin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Holdin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Holdin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Holdin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Holdin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Holdin a common name?
We classify Holdin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Holdin most popular?
The single biggest year for Holdin was 2010, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Holdin is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Holdin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Holdin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Holdin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Holdin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Holdin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Holdin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Holdin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.