Holden
Holden was the 297th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,140 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 217th with 1,732 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6 places. More babies were named Holden in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning deep valley (surname) · Old English
Say it HOHL-duhn /ˈhoʊldən/
- Rank in 2025
- #297 boys, down 70 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,140boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20181,732 babies
- Total since 1880
- 32,795babies recorded
What does the name Holden mean?
Holden is an English surname that Wikipedia glosses 'deep valley', from Old English hol, 'hollow', and denu, 'valley', originally a place name. Wikipedia notes that its best-known use as a given name is Holden Caulfield, the narrator of J. D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, and that it rose in the US after a soap-opera character named Holden appeared in 1986.
hol (Old English, “hollow, deep”)denu (Old English, “valley”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'deep valley' gloss comes from one source; the Old English elements are standard place-name words.
Related names: Holdyn.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Holden', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Holden (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Holden popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 288 since 1994, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #297 | 1,140 |
| 2020 | #227 | 1,648 |
| 2010 | #317 | 1,011 |
| 2000 | #453 | 527 |
| 1990 | #755 | 182 |
| 1980 | #3,711 | 11 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #3,190 | 8 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | #3,276 | 6 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #2,857 | 10 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Holden, counting every spelling?
Holden is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #302 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #297 for Holden on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,157 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden | 1,140 | #297 | 6,251 |
| Holdyn | 17 | #5,471 | 145 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Holden?
1,140 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Holden (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Holden born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Holden.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Holden?
About 31,900 people born in the US named Holden are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 7 and 20. That makes Holden a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Holden by state
How common Holden was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (4.2×), South Dakota (4.0×), Montana (2.9×), Nebraska (2.7×), Iowa (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, Massachusetts, Delaware.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Holden: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Holden, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Holden · Sibling names for Holden
Questions about the name Holden
What does Holden mean?
Holden means “deep valley (surname)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Holden?
Holden was the 297th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,140 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 217th with 1,732 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6 places. More babies were named Holden in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Holden a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Holden in the US.
Where is Holden most popular?
In 2021–2025, Holden was most common in West Virginia (3.06 per 1,000 boys), followed by South Dakota and Vermont.