boys' name ★ peaked 2018

Holden

Meaning A male given name transferred from the surname Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #297 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Rank 2025
#297
among boys · ↓16 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,146
named Holden · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,498
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2018
1,757 babies
All-time total
32,795
#651 all-time among boys
First recorded
1902
in Social Security records

Holden popularity over time

32,795 babies have been named Holden since 1902, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 5 5 1 – #1,215
1910s – 28 28 3 +460% #2,774
1920s – 68 68 7 +143% #2,689
1930s – 34 34 3 -50% #2,959
1940s – 32 32 3 -6% #3,276
1950s – 47 47 5 +47% #2,913
1960s – 70 70 7 +49% #2,876
1970s – 44 44 4 -37% #3,284
1980s – 526 526 53 +1095% #794
1990s 19 3,382 3,401 340 +547% #418
2000s 56 7,305 7,361 736 +116% #335
2010s 129 13,067 13,196 1,320 +79% #217
2020s (to 2025) 84 7,899 7,983 1,331 +1% #227

Where Holden is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,090 0.64 #312
2027 1,049 0.61 #325
2028 1,015 0.59 #334
2029 987 0.58 #339
2030 964 0.56 #342

Where Holden is most popular

Boys named Holden per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.724 per 1,000. Strongest in West Virginia, South Dakota, and Vermont.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Holden born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
West Virginia 100 3.06 +323%
South Dakota 54 2.90 +301%
Vermont 14 2.23 +208%
Montana 37 2.10 +190%
Nebraska 86 1.98 +173%
Iowa 123 1.78 +146%
North Dakota 30 1.76 +143%
Idaho 65 1.59 +119%
Kansas 105 1.53 +112%
Kentucky 149 1.48 +105%
Ohio 389 1.47 +103%
Mississippi 79 1.39 +92%
Oregon 105 1.38 +91%
Indiana 220 1.37 +90%
Arkansas 82 1.30 +79%
Oklahoma 113 1.28 +77%
North Carolina 319 1.25 +73%
Tennessee 215 1.19 +65%
Utah 112 1.17 +62%
New Hampshire 26 1.17 +62%
South Carolina 117 1.13 +56%
Alabama 121 1.11 +53%
Missouri 153 1.10 +53%
Virginia 208 1.10 +51%
Maine 21 1.08 +50%
Michigan 217 1.06 +46%
Colorado 134 1.04 +43%
Wisconsin 122 1.03 +42%
Washington 166 1.01 +40%
Minnesota 121 0.986 +36%
Pennsylvania 249 0.938 +30%
Wyoming 5 0.864 +19%
Alaska 10 0.840 +16%
Georgia 200 0.789 +9%
Connecticut 51 0.753 ≈ national
Louisiana 77 0.753 ≈ national
Illinois 186 0.728 ≈ national
Arizona 113 0.691 -5%
Maryland 78 0.654 -10%
Texas 514 0.583 -19%
Florida 226 0.477 -34%
Nevada 25 0.439 -39%
Hawaii 6 0.386 -47%
New York 158 0.365 -50%
California 322 0.352 -51%
New Jersey 70 0.348 -52%
Delaware 5 0.330 -54%
Massachusetts 42 0.305 -58%
New Mexico 6 0.182 -75%
District of Columbia – – –
Rhode Island – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Holden

Holden is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #297 in 2025 with 1,140 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1902, 32,795 American babies have been named Holden. Its peak came in 2018, when 1,757 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Holden stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Holden?

The median living Holden is about 11 years old; half are between 6 and 19. An estimated 32 thousand people named Holden are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Holden year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 6 #13,841 1,140 #297
2024 17 #6,755 1,209 #281
2023 15 #7,396 1,176 #286
2022 11 #9,287 1,219 #285
2021 22 #5,633 1,507 #236
2020 13 #8,141 1,648 #227
2019 17 #6,833 1,468 #250
2018 25 #5,221 1,732 #217
2017 13 #8,478 1,531 #242
2016 12 #9,090 1,356 #270
2015 13 #8,637 1,254 #291
2014 14 #8,219 1,218 #291
2013 8 #12,422 1,206 #289
2012 9 #11,624 1,177 #296
2011 8 #12,598 1,114 #299
2010 10 #10,717 1,011 #317
2009 8 #12,886 955 #335
2008 5 #18,556 877 #357
2007 8 #13,120 812 #378
2006 – – 777 #385
2005 8 #12,251 830 #357
2004 9 #11,029 747 #371
2003 6 #14,526 619 #415
2002 – – 614 #413
2001 6 #14,161 547 #443
2000 6 #13,793 527 #453
1995 – – 299 #598
1990 – – 182 #755
1985 – – 16 #3,004
1980 – – 11 #3,711
1975 – – 8 #4,090
1970 – – – –
1965 – – 9 #2,876
1960 – – 8 #3,190
1955 – – 7 #3,320
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – 6 #3,276
1935 – – 5 #3,903
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 10 #2,857
1915 – – 6 #3,594
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Holden

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Holden Roberto Holden Roberto Angolan politician (1923–2007) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Holden, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Holden?

The median living Holden is about 11 years old. Half of all living Holdens are between 6 and 19 years old.

How many people named Holden are alive today?

An estimated 32 thousand people named Holden are alive in the United States, based on 32,795 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Holden mean?

A male given name transferred from the surname.

How popular is the name Holden in 2025?

Holden ranked #297 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,140 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Holden?

32,795 babies have been named Holden in the United States since 1902, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Holden most popular?

Holden peaked in 2018, when 1,757 newborns received the name.

Is Holden a boy or girl name?

Holden is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Holden rising or falling?

Holden has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Holden become more popular?

Holden is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 964 boys named Holden in 2030, which would rank around #342. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Holden?

Well-known people named Holden include Holden Roberto (politician).

Names like Holden

Names that sound and feel close to Holden: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Holden with similar names → More names starting with H →