ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
Perplexity
The short answer
Holden is a masculine name used in English. Behind the Name describes it this way: "From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning ‘deep valley’ in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J." It ranked #297 for boys in the United States in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
According to Behind the Name, from a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning ‘deep valley’ in Old English. This is the name of the main character in J. The entry lists its usage as English (Modern).
Editorial confidence: established
Popularity
Holden ranked #297 for boys in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #297 | ssa-2025 |
If you like this name
Names that Behind the Name files under the same origin (English) and that sit near Holden in the 2025 American rankings.
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Holden mean?
Holden means "deep valley", according to Behind the Name.
Is Holden a popular name?
Holden ranked #297 for boys in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Holden a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Holden appears in the boys' list; Behind the Name labels it masculine.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Holden — supports meaning, usage, pronunciation, variants.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
