Holdon
One who perseveres or persists despite challenges or obstacles.
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Holdon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Holdon today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Holdon births was 2019 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Holdon. 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 Holdon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
2019
8 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2019 SSA rank
#9,196
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Holdon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Holdon from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 25 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
Holdon 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 Holdon 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 Holdon
The given name Holdon is believed to have originated from the Old English language, tracing its roots back to the 8th or 9th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the combination of two Old English words, "hold" meaning "to keep or retain," and "don" which was a common suffix used to create action verbs.
The earliest known reference to the name Holdon can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The name appears in an entry dated around 855 AD, referring to a nobleman named Holdon who was involved in a dispute over land ownership.
One of the most notable figures in history to bear the name Holdon was a Benedictine monk who lived in the 11th century. Holdon of Ely (c. 1020 - 1092) was a renowned scholar and chronicler, best known for his work "The Ecclesiastical History of the English People," which provides valuable insights into the social and religious life of the time.
Another prominent Holdon in history was Holdon de Vere (1135 - 1198), an English nobleman and crusader. He participated in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard I and is mentioned in various accounts of the time for his bravery and military prowess.
During the 13th century, there was a Holdon of Winchester (c. 1210 - 1280), a respected theologian and philosopher who contributed significantly to the development of scholastic thought in medieval England.
In the 15th century, a figure named Holdon Caxton (1422 - 1491) gained recognition as one of the first English printers and publishers. He is credited with introducing the printing press to England and played a crucial role in the dissemination of literature and knowledge during the Renaissance period.
Over the centuries, the name Holdon has remained a relatively uncommon choice, but it has continued to appear in various historical records and accounts, reflecting its enduring presence as a unique and intriguing given name with deep roots in the English language and culture.
People
Holdon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Holdon 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
Holdon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Holdon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Holdon 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 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Holdon a common name?
We classify Holdon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Holdon most popular?
The single biggest year for Holdon was 2019, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Holdon is about 18 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 Holdon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Holdon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Holdon 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 Holdon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Holdon 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 Holdon 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 called Holdon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.