Holden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Holden name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxonculture. Their name comes from having lived in the county of Lancashire, where they held the estate of Holden in the parish of Haslingden.

Early Origins of the Holden family

The surname Holden was first found in Lancashire where “Holden was an estate in the parish of Haslingden. A family of that name early sprang from the place.” [1]. 

“Lancashire is the great home of the Holdens. The ancient gentle family of the Holdens, of Holden, Haslingden, dates back to the 13th century; from it there branched off in the 16th century the Holdens of Todd Hall in the same parish. The Holdens of Ewood, Livesey, date back to the reign of Henry VIII. The Holdens of Aston, Derbyshire, who go back to the beginning of the 17th century, may hail from the Lancashire stock.” [2]

Other early records include: Robert de Holden, Lancashire, listed there during the reign of Henry III; and Magota de Holdene who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls. The Wills at Chester list the following: Oliver Holden, of Haslingden, Lincolnshire in 1588; Adam Holden, of Spotland, Lancashire in 1596; and Catherine Holden, of Holden in 1685. The Preston Guild Rolls of 1642 list Ralph Holden de Holden. [1]

Early History of the Holden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holden research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1285, 1596, 1662, 1596, 1618, 1623, 1710, 1778, 1539, 1599, 1539, 1571, 1578, 1580, 1583 and are included under the topic Early Holden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holden Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Holden has undergone many spelling variations, including Holden, Holdin, Holding, Houlden, Houldin, Howlin and many more.

Early Notables of the Holden family (pre 1700)

Notables of the family at this time include Henry Holden (1596-1662), an English Roman Catholic priest and author. “He was the son of Richard Holden, owner of a small estate at Chaigley, near Clitheroe, on the northern slope of Longridge Fell. He was born in 1596, and on 18 September 1618 he went to Douay, taking there the name of Johnson, and in 1623… 
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holden World Ranking

In the United States, the name Holden is the 919^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. [3] However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Holden is ranked the 721^st most popular surname with an estimated 60 people with that name. [4] And in Australia, the name Holden is the 622^nd popular surname with an estimated 6,264 people with that name. [5] New Zealand ranks Holden as 478^th with 1,427 people. [6] The United Kingdom ranks Holden as 327^th with 18,680 people. [7]

 Migration of the Holden family to Ireland

Some of the Holden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 121 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

 Holden migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Holden were among those contributors.