Holden
Holden is a boys' name of English origin meaning “hollow valley.” It ranked #297 in the United States in 2025. Holden is an English place name meaning 'hollow valley' or 'deep valley.
how do you pronounce Holden?
HOHL-den
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Holden mean?
The name Holden means “hollow valley.” It comes from the English language tradition.
Holden is an English place name meaning 'hollow valley' or 'deep valley.' The name is permanently linked to Holden Caulfield, the restless teenage protagonist of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. This literary association gives the name an introspective, rebellious quality that appeals to bookish parents.
where does the name Holden come from?
Wikipedia confirms Holden is an English given name from a surname meaning 'deep valley' in Old English.
the history of Holden
Per Wikipedia, its best-known use is J. D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, whose protagonist is Holden Caulfield; in the US, the name began rising in 1986 after the character Holden Snyder appeared on the soap opera As the World Turns.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #297 |
| 2024 | #281 |
| 2023 | #286 |
| 2022 | #285 |
| 2021 | #236 |
| 2020 | #227 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
who are famous people named Holden?
- Holden Caulfield (protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye)
- William Holden (American actor)
what names are similar to Holden?
what names go well with Holden?
Sibling names that share Holden's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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