Holden

English
"hollow valley"

Holden Origin and Meaning

The name Holden is a boy's name of English origin meaning "hollow valley".

Holden is a classic case of a name that jumped out of a book and onto birth certificates--though it took quite a while. Parents who loved J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye are flocking to the name of its hero, Holden Caulfield -- not coincidentally in tune with the Hudson-Hayden-Colton field of names. (Trivia note: Salinger supposedly came up with the name while looking at a movie poster promoting a film starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield, though other sources say he was named after Salinger's friend Holden Bowler.) Another impetus was provided by a soap opera character introduced in 1985.

Among the celebs who have chosen Holden are Brendan Fraser and Mira Sorvino.

In Australia, only a car-lover would choose this name, which is inextricably linked with the car-brand.

# 286 in the US

Holden Rank in US Top 1000

# 245 on Nameberry

Holden Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Holden Popularity

Famous People Named Holden

  • Holden Bowler
    American athlete, singer and businessman
  • Holden Furber
    American historian
  • Holden Chester Richardson
    U.S. Navy aviator
  • Holden Álvaro Roberto
    Angolan activist and politician
  • (Herbert) Holden Thorp
    American chemist
  • Holden John Seguso (b. 1988)
    son of tennis players Robert and Carling Bassett Seguso
  • Holden Richard Schroder (b. 1992)
    son of actor Rick Schroder
  • Holden John Dorough (b. 2003)
    son of singer Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys
  • Holden Fletcher Fraser (b. 2004)
    son of actor Brendan Fraser
  • Holden Paul Terry Backus (b. 2009)
    son of actors Mira Sorvino and Christopher Backus
  • Holden Everett Ladwig (b. 2009)
    son of pair skater Mark Ladwig
  • Holden Robert Jahangiri (b. 2013)
    son of actress Kate Levering and businessman Reza Jahangiri
  • Jack Holden Marsden (b. 2001)
    son of actor James Marsden
  • Finnigan Holden McCormack (b. 2002)
    son of actor Eric McCormack and Janet Holden

Holden in Pop Culture

  • Holden Caulfield
    main character in J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye"
  • Holden
    character in James Patterson's Maximum Ride
  • Holden McNeil
    character in "Chasing Amy"
  • Holden Snyder
    character on American soap opera "As the World Turns"
  • Holden Strauss
    character in the TV series "Pretty Little Liars"
  • Holden Spence
    from the movie "Everyone Says I Love You"
  • Holden Maxwell
    main male character in Kristen Ashley's The Gamble
  • Holden Messenger
    character in Kiera Cass's "The Heir"
  • Holden Dippledorf
    character in DisneyChannel's "Liv and Maddie"
  • Holden Matthews
    character on Freeform's "Beyond"
  • Holden Carver
    main character in the DC/Wildstorm Sleeper comics
  • Holden
    Australian automaker
  • Thomas "Holden" Worther
    character in the movie "The Good Girl"
  • Holden Radcliffe
    character in the Marvel TV series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
  • Holden
    character in American Horror Story season 5
  • Holden Ford
    character in the Netflix series "Mindhunter"
  • Holden Reid Barclay
    main male character in Scarlett Avery’s book “Bad Boy SEALs”.