Holden
An English surname from place names combining Old English hol, meaning hollow, with denu, a valley. J. D. Salinger gave it to his narrator Holden Caulfield.
Holden in 2025
Holden was given to 1,146 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 581st most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,893 babies born.
The history of Holden
Holden reached its highest point in 2018, when 1,757 babies were given the name, ranking 391st that year.
Across the 124 years of records since 1902, 32,795 babies have been named Holden. Half of them were born before 2014, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Alpha.
Holden by decade
| Decade | Babies named Holden | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 | 2,855 |
| 1910s | 28 | 5,277 |
| 1920s | 68 | 5,247 |
| 1930s | 34 | 5,655 |
| 1940s | 32 | 6,555 |
| 1950s | 47 | 6,601 |
| 1960s | 70 | 6,888 |
| 1970s | 44 | 8,024 |
| 1980s | 526 | 1,836 |
| 1990s | 3,401 | 861 |
| 2000s | 7,361 | 676 |
| 2010s | 13,196 | 391 |
| 2020s | 7,983 | 408 |
Where Holden is heading
Holden has fallen 10% over the past decade, from 1,267 babies in 2015 to 1,146 in 2025.
Names like Holden
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Holden.