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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.

There are three main theories as to the meaning of the name, one occupational and two topographical:

• "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:

• 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
• 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 first-class 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
• 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

• Surnames
• Occupational surnames
• Toponymic surnames
• English-language surnames
• Dutch-language surnames
• Surnames of English origin
• Surnames of British Isles origin
• Surnames of Dutch origin