NameCensus.
Very Rare

Holdyn

A masculine name of English origin, possibly related to "hold" and "den".

Name Census estimates that about 720 living Americans carry the first name Holdyn. It is a predominantly male name (92.7% of registrations). The average person named Holdyn today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Holdyn births was 2017 (50 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Holdyn. 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.

People living today

720

~ 1 in 476,048 Americans

Peak year

2017

50 babies that year

Average age

12

years old

2024 SSA rank

#5,110

Tracked since 1993

Gender

Gender distribution for Holdyn

Holdyn leans heavily male at 92.7% of total registrations, but 53 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.

93% male
Male673 (92.7%)Female53 (7.3%)

Holdyn as a male name

  • Ranked #5,110 in 2024
  • 19 male births in 2024
  • Peak: 2023 (43 births)

Holdyn as a female name

  • Ranked #14,218 in 2022
  • 6 female births in 2022
  • Peak: 2016 (10 births)

Popularity

Holdyn: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Holdyn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 370 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Holdyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

MaleFemale
013253850199520002005201020152020

Decades

Holdyn 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 Holdyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1990s19019
2000s1575162
2010s33634370
2020s16114175

Geography

Where Holdyns live

Origin

Meaning and history of Holdyn

The given name Holdyn is rooted in the Old English language, originating sometime around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "holde," meaning loyal or faithful, and "wyn," meaning friend or protector. The name was likely first used in the Anglo-Saxon regions of what is now England and parts of Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holdyn can be found in the Domesday Book, a famous medieval manuscript commissioned in 1086 by William the Conqueror. The book contains a reference to a landowner named Holdyn of Wessex, suggesting the name's use during the late 11th century.

In the 12th century, a notable figure named Holdyn the Scribe gained recognition for his work as a calligrapher and illuminator of religious texts in the monasteries of Northumbria. His intricate and ornate calligraphy can still be admired in some of the surviving manuscripts from that era.

During the 13th century, a French monk named Holdyn du Châtelet lived in the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris. He is known for his philosophical writings and contributions to the study of scholastic theology.

In the 15th century, a Welsh soldier named Holdyn ap Rhys fought valiantly in the Wars of the Roses, serving under the House of Lancaster. Historical records mention his bravery and loyalty on the battlefield.

Another historical figure bearing the name Holdyn was a Norwegian explorer named Holdyn Eriksson, who embarked on voyages to Iceland and Greenland in the late 10th century. He is credited with establishing one of the first Norse settlements in North America, predating Christopher Columbus by several centuries.

Throughout the centuries, the name Holdyn has been relatively rare but has persisted in various forms and spellings, such as Holden, Holden, and Holdyn. While not as common as some other names, it has maintained a presence in various cultures and regions, reflecting its rich historical roots and enduring legacy.

People

Holdyn + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Holdyn 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

Holdyn: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Holdyn?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 720 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Holdyn 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 476,048 US residents.

Is Holdyn a common name?

We classify Holdyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 726 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Holdyn most popular?

The single biggest year for Holdyn was 2017, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Holdyn is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Holdyn a male name?

Yes, 92.7% of people registered as Holdyn 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.

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.

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Holdyn

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