Find out how popular the last name Holden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Holden.

Holden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Holden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Holden in America

Holden is the 1008th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Holden surname appeared 34,824 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Holden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Holden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Holden

The surname Holden is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'hol' meaning hollow or dell, and 'denu' meaning valley. It was a topographic name given to someone who lived in a small valley or hollow. The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the late 12th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Holden surname was Roger de Holden, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1199. The name also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was recorded as both Holdene and Holdene. This suggests that the spelling of the name was not yet standardized.

In the 13th century, the Holden family was well-established in the areas of Holden and Haslingden in Lancashire. They held estates and lands in these regions, which likely contributed to their surname's origin and evolution. The name is also associated with various place names, such as Holden Clough and Holden Wood, in the same county.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Holden surname gained prominence, and several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was John Holden (1542-1629), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was beatified in 1987. Another was Samuel Holden (1640-1719), an English merchant and philanthropist who founded Holden's Free School in London.

In the 18th century, John Holden (1730-1814) was an English industrialist and inventor who played a significant role in the development of the cotton industry. He is credited with introducing the first silk mill in Stockport, Cheshire. Later, in the 19th century, Sir Isaac Holden (1807-1897) was a prominent English industrialist and Liberal politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.

Other notable individuals with the Holden surname include Sir Edward Holden (1885-1947), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Governor of Kansas and Governor of Minnesota, and William Holden Hutton (1860-1930), an English novelist and essayist known for his works on the English countryside.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Holden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Holden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Holden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Holden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Holden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Holden, please contact us.

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