Holt Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Holt last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Holt last name
Meaning of the Holt last name: dweller by a wood. Holt is an English name for someone who lived by a small wood, from the Old English word holt. It is found widely across England and Scandinavia, where a similar word exists. A curious detail: several English place names still end in '-holt', marking woods that have sometimes long since disappeared.
Arms associated with the Holt name
A curious English detail: younger sons added small marks to their father's arms, a custom of the tradition the Holt name belongs to.
Get your full Holt family history
This is only a glimpse of the Holt story. The full Holt 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 Holt coat of arms. Get the full Holt report.
Holt name FAQ
What does the Holt name mean?
Dweller by a wood. Common variants include Holte, Holter, Holtz.
Where does the Holt surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Norway and Australia.
Is there a Holt coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Holt coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.