Holman Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Holman last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Holman coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Holman last name
Meaning of the Holman last name: dweller in a hollow. Holman is an English surname for someone who lived in a hollow, or perhaps by a holly tree, with "man" added. The last name is found in south-west England, especially Cornwall and Devon, and crossed early to America. A curious detail of this family name meaning: in hilly Devon, living down in the hollow was enough to set one family apart from its neighbours.
Arms associated with the Holman name
In English heraldry a coat of arms belonged to one person at a time, so different Holman lines used their own versions, each set out in a blazon, the formal heraldic description.
Get your full Holman family history
This is only a glimpse of the Holman story. The full Holman history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Holman coat of arms. Get the full Holman report.
Holman name FAQ
What does the Holman name mean?
Dweller in a hollow. Common variants include Holeman, Hollman.
Where does the Holman surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Holman coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Holman coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).