Holman (surname)

Holman

Origin
Meaning	"holy man", "dweller in a hollow", "dweller by holly", "dweller on an island"
Region of origin	England, Netherlands
Other names
Variant form(s)	Hollman, Holeman

Holman is an English and Dutch surname first recorded in Essex, England in the subsidy rolls of 1327. There are variants including Hollman and Holeman. It is uncommon as a given name. ^[1]

There are three main theories as to the meaning of the name, one occupational and two topographical: ^{[2] [3]}

• "Holy man" – stemming from the Old English words Hol or Hool, meaning holy.
• "Dweller in a hollow (hole)" – stemming from the Old English hohl, meaning hollow or hole.
• "Dweller by a holly tree/Dweller on an island" – from Middle English holm, meaning holly or island.

Notable Holmans

People with the surname or its variants include:

• Ada Augusta Holman (1869–1949), Australian journalist and novelist
• Adrian Holman (1895–1974), British diplomat
• Benjamin Holman (1930–2007), American newspaper and television reporter
• Bernard Holman (1941–1988), British-New Zealand artist
• Bill Holman (cartoonist) (1903–1987), American cartoonist
• Bill Holman (musician) (1927–2024), American songwriter and musician
• Bob Holman, American poet
• Brad Holman (born 1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• Brett Holman (born 1984), Australian Association football forward
• Brian Holman (born 1965), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• C. Hugh Holman (1914–1981), American literary scholar
• Cal Holman (1931–2007), American politician
• Clare Holman (born 1964), British actress
• Claude Holman (1904–1973), American attorney and politician
• Cliff Holman (1929–2008), American television personality
• David Holman, American television producer
• Derek Holman (1931–2019), British choral conductor, organist, and composer
• Derk Holman (1916–1982), Dutch ceramist and sculptor
• Diana Holman-Hunt (1913–1993), British memoir writer and art critic
• Dorothy Holman (1883–1968), British tennis player
• Eddie Holman (born 1946), American singer
• Edward Holman (1904–1951), Australian politician
• Emily Elizabeth Holman (1854–1925), American architect
• Francis Holman (1729–1784), British maritime painter
• Frank B. Holman (1930–2005), American politician
• Frank E. Holman (1886–1967), American attorney
• Frederick Holman (swimmer) (1885–1913), British breaststroke swimmer, Olympic gold medal winner
• Frederick Van Voorhies Holman (1852–1927), American attorney and civic leader
• Gary Holman (baseball) (born 1944), American baseball player
• Gary Holman (politician), Canadian politician
• Grant Holman (born 2000), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• Hannah Holman, American fashion model
• Hans-Jørgen Holman (1925–1986), Norwegian-American musicologist and educationalist
• Harm Holman (born 1957), Dutch politician
• Harry Holman (1842–1947), American actor
• J. Martin Holman (born 1957), American translator of Japanese literature
• James Holman (1786–1857), British traveller and writer
• James Sanders Holman (1804–1867), American politician
• Jeffrey Paparoa Holman (born 1947), New Zealand poet, writer, and academic
• Jerry Holman, American basketball player
• Jesse Lynch Holman (1784–1842), American judge
• John Holman (engineer) (1819–1890), Cornish founder of Holman Brothers
• John Holman (NASCAR) (1918–1975), American NASCAR owner
• John Holman (politician) (1872–1925), Australian politician
• John Holman (British Army officer) (1938–2011), British Army officer and cricketer
• John Holman (writer) (born 1951), American short story writer
• Joseph George Holman (1764–1817), English actor and dramatist
• Joseph W. Holman (1890–1952), American architect
• Keith Holman (1927–2011), Australian rugby league footballer
• Kurt Holman, Canadian politician
• Kwame Holman, American journalist, correspondent, producer and reporter
• Libby Holman (1904–1971), American singer
• Lucia Ruggles Holman (1793–1886), teacher and letter writer; first American woman to sail around the world
• Lydia Holman (1868–1960), American nurse who dedicated her life to promoting rural public health
• M. Carl Holman (1919–1988), African-American author, poet and playwright
• Marshall Holman (born 1954), American professional bowler
• Matthew J. Holman (born 1967), American astrophysicist
• May Holman (1893–1939), Australian politician
• Michael Holman (priest), British former headmaster of Wimbledon College
• Michael Holman (filmmaker), American artist, writer, filmmaker and musician
• Nat Holman (1896–1995), American Hall of Fame basketball player
• Nels Holman (1861–1946), American politician
• Nicholas Holman (1771–1862), Cornish engineer, father of John Holman of Holman Brothers
• Pablo Holman (born 1988), Chilean musician, member of the band Kudai
• Patrick Holman (born 1945), English cricketer
• Percy Holman (1891–1978), British politician
• Portia Holman (1903–1983), Australian child psychiatrist
• Ralph Holman (1917–2012), American biochemist
• Ralph M. Holman (1914–2013), American attorney and senior judge
• Ray Holman (born 1944), Trinidadian musician
• Rex Holman (born 1935), American film and television actor
• Rodney Holman (born 1960), American football player
• Rufus C. Holman (1877–1959), American politician
• Ryan Holman (born 1986), Dutch soccer player
• Scott Earl Holman (born 1954), American jazz musician
• Sheri Holman (born 1966), American writer
• Steve Holman (sportscaster) (born 1954), American sports broadcaster
• Theodor Holman (born 1953), Dutch author, script writer, and journalist
• Tomlinson Holman, American film technologist
• Walter Holman (born 1949), American football player
• William Holman (1871–1934), British-born Australian politician
• William S. Holman (1822–1897), American attorney, judge, and politician
• Willie Holman (1945–2002), American football player
• William Steele Holman (1822–1897), Indiana Congressman

See also

• Hollman
• Holeman
• Halman (surname)
• Harman (surname)

References

1. Reaney P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991
2. Colleta, John P. They Came in Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993.'
3. Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2013