Holman (surname)

Holman
Family name
Meaning	"holy man", "dweller in a hollow", "dweller by holly", "dweller on an island"
Region of origin	England, Netherlands
Related names	Hollman, Holeman

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

There a 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 holh, 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:

• 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) (b. 1927), American songwriter and musician
• Bob Holman, American poet
• Brad Holman (b. 1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• Brett Holman (b. 1984), Australian Association football forward
• Brian Holman (b. 1965), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• Cal Holman (1931 – 2007), American politician
• Clare Holman (b. 1964), British actress
• Cliff Holman (1929 – 2008), American television personality
• David Holman, American television producer
• Derek Holman, (b. 1931), 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 – ?), British tennis player
• Eddie Holman (b. 1946), American singer
• Edward Holman, 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 (disambiguation)
• Gary Holman (disambiguation)
• Hannah Holman, American fashion model
• Hans-Jørgen Holman (1925 – 1986), Norwegian-American musicologist and educationalist
• Harry Holman (1842 – 1947), American actor
• J. Martin Holman (b. 1957), American translator of Japanese literature
• James Holman (1786 – 1857), British traveller and writer
• James Sanders Holman (1804 – 1867), American politician
• Jerry Holman, American basketball player
• John Holman (NASCAR) (1918 – 1975), American NASCAR owner
• John Holman (politician) (1872 – 1925), Australian politician
• John Holman (writer) (b. 1951), American short story writer
• Keith Holman (b. 1927), Australian rugby league footballer
• Libby Holman (1904 – 1971), American torch singer
• M. Carl Holman (1919 — 1988), African-American author, poet and playwright
• Marshall Holman (b. 1954), American professional bowler
• Matthew J. Holman (b. 1967), American astrophysicist
• May Holman (1893 – 1939), Australian politician
• Michael Holman (priest), British former headmaster of Wimbledon College
• Michael Holman (hip hop artist), American hip hop artist
• Nat Holman (1896 – 1995), American basketball player
• Nels Holman (1861-1946), American politician
• Pablo Holman (b. 1988), Chilean musician, member of the band Kudai
• Patrick Holman (b. 1945), English cricketer
• Percy Holman (1891 – 1978), British politician
• Ralph Holman (b. 1917), American biochemist
• Ralph M. Holman (b. 1914), American attorney and senior judge
• Ray Holman (b. 1944), Trinidadian musician
• Rodney Holman (b. 1960), American football player
• Rufus C. Holman (1877 – 1959), American politician
• Ryan Holman (b. 1986), Dutch soccer player
• Scott Earl Holman (b. 1954), American jazz musician
• Sheri Holman (b. 1966), American writer
• Steve Holman (sportscaster) (b. 1954), American sports broadcaster
• Theodor Holman (b. 1953), Dutch author, script writer and journalist
• Tomlinson Holman, American film technologist
• Walter Holman (b. 1949), American football player
• William Holman (1871 – 1934), British-born Australian politician
• William S. Holman (1822 – 1897), American lawyer, judge and politician
• Willie Holman (1945 – 2002), American football player

See also

• Hollman (disambiguation)

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