Origin
Holt : English North German Dutch Danish and Norwegian: topographic name for someone who lived in or by a small wood from Middle English Middle Low German Danish and Norwegian holt or a habitational name from one of the many places called with this word. In England the surname is widely distributed but more common in Lancashire and Yorkshire than elsewhere.
Anhalt : German:: 1: habitational name from a place called Anholt in Westphalia which is named from Middle Low German an ‘at’ + holt ‘wood’ or from the old county and castle of Anhalt named from late Middle High German anhalt ‘stopping point’.2: topographic name for someone living near a slope an ‘at’ + halt ‘hillside’.
Ashall : from Esholt in Guiseley (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Esseholt in 1172–81 Escheholt in 1248 Esshald in 1358 and Asholt in 1485. The place-name derives from Old English æsc ‘ash-tree’ + holt ‘wood grove’.
Bagnall : English (Staffordshire): habitational name from Bagnall or Bagnall in Alrewas both in Staffordshire named with the Old English personal name Badeca Baduca (from a short form of various compound names with the first element beadu ‘battle’) + Old English halh ‘nook recess’ (see Hale) or holt ‘wood’ (see Holt). In the 16th century the name was taken to Ireland where it became established in Leinster.
Bergholz : 1: North German: topographic name meaning ‘birchwood’ from an altered form of Middle Low German berk(e) ‘birch’ + holt (standard German Holz) ‘wood’.2: German: habitational name from any of several places called Bergholz e.g. in Schleswig-Holstein and Brandenburg.
Bockholt : North German: topographic name for someone who lived near a beech wood from Middle Low German bōk ‘beech’ + holt ‘wood’.
Boxell : English (Sussex): habitational name either from Bugsell Farm in Salehurst (Sussex) or from a lost Boxholte in Kirdford (Sussex) or perhaps from Buxhalls in Lindfield (Sussex) though this may be a late form of another placename in Lindfield with a different etymology. Bugsell Farm is named with Old English bucc ‘buck’ + hyll ‘hill’. The lost Boxholte is from Old English box ‘box’ + holt ‘wood’.
Eickholt : North German: topographic name for someone who lived near or owned an oak wood from Middle Low German eke ‘oak’ + holt ‘wood forest’.
Fleet : English:: 1: habitational name from Middle English flete ‘estuary watercourse’ (Old English flēot). The surname may be topographic for someone who lived beside an estuary or watercourse or toponymic from a place so named such as Fleet in Lincolnshire Dorset Kent Middlesex Hampshire or Holt Fleet Worcestershire.2: nickname for a swift runner from Middle English flete ‘swift rapid’.
Hetzel : German:: 1: from a pet form of the personal name Hermann.2: from an ancient Germanic personal name a pet form of a compound name formed with haid ‘heath wasteland’ as the first element.3: from Middle High German holz Middle Low German holt ‘wood’ a topographic name an occupational name for someone who provided wood or a nickname for a stubborn person.
Hoelscher : North German (Hölscher): occupational name for a maker of clogs (wooden shoes) Middle Low German holsche (from Middle Low German holt ‘wood’ + scho ‘shoe’) with the agent noun suffix -er.
Holdman : 1: English: status name denoting a ‘servant of the noble’ from Middle English hold(e) + man (see Hold).2: English: variant of Oldman from Middle English ald old ‘old’ and man ‘man’.3: Americanized form of North German Holdmann: topographic name from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’ + man ‘man’.
Holdt : 1: North German: topographic name from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’.2: Danish and Norwegian: variant of Holt.
Hollopeter : German: perhaps a distinguishing nickname Hollepeter ‘helpful Peter’. (like Hollefreund and Gutfreund; see Goodfriend) from Middle Low German holde holt ‘friendly helpful’ + the personal name Peter.
Holschuh : German: metonymic occupational name for a clog maker from Middle Low German holt ‘wood’ + scho ‘shoe’ (see Hoelscher).
Holstein : German: habitational name from the province of Holstein long disputed between Germany and Denmark. This gets its name from holsten the dative plural originally used after a preposition of holst from Middle Low German holt-sate ‘dweller in the woods’ (from Middle Low German holt ‘wood’ + sate sete ‘tenant’). The final syllable has been erroneously altered by analogy with North German Steen ‘stone’ which in South German and standard German has the form Stein.
Holtan : Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads so named from the definite plural form of holt ‘small wood’ (see Holt).
Holte : 1: North German: variant of Holt.2: North German: habitational name from any of several places so named.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads most of them named from the dative singular of holt (see Holt).
Holten : 1: Dutch (also Van Holten) and North German: habitational name from any of the places so called from Low German holt ‘holt copse small wood’. There are two in the Dutch province of Overijssel and another near Oberhausen in the Rhineland.2: Danish: variant of Holt.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads so named either from the definite singular form of holt ‘holt small wood’ (see Holt) or from holt ‘hill stony slope’.4: English (Devon and Cornwall): variant of Holton.
Holter : 1: Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads in southeastern Norway from the indefinite plural of holt ‘holt small wood’ (see Holt).2: North German (also Hölter): habitational name for someone from any of several places in Westphalia called Hölt and Holt (see Holt). Compare Hoelter.3: North German (also Hölter): habitational name from any of the places called Holter or Hölter. Compare Hoelter.4: English (Sussex): topographic name for a ‘dweller by the wood’ from an agent derivative of Middle English holt ‘grove wood’.
Holtgrewe : North German: occupational name for a forest warden Middle Low German holtgreve a compound of holt ‘small wood’ + greve ‘warden’ related to High German Graf.
Holtham : English:: 1: habitational name from a place so named or a topographic name for someone who lived ‘(at the) enclosure in the wood’ from Middle English holt ‘wood grove’ + ham ‘enclosure’ (Old English holt + hamm). Compare Haltom and Holtom.2: variant of Hotham.
Holthaus : North German: topographic name for someone who lived by a copse from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’ + hūs ‘house’.
Holthusen : North German: habitational name from a common placename derived from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’ + husen dative plural of hus ‘house’.
Holtkamp : North German and Dutch: habitational name from any of several farms so named located in Lower Saxony North Rhine-Westphalia and adjacent East Netherlands from Middle Low German holt ‘wood’ + kamp ‘enclosure fenced or hedged field domain’.
Holtmeyer : North German: occupational name for a steward of woodland or a tenant farmer (see Meyer) whose farm lay by a wood (Middle Low German holt).
Holton : 1: English: habitational name from any of various places called Holton such as those in Oxfordshire Suffolk Dorset and Somerset. The Oxfordshire and Somerset placenames derive from Old English halh ‘nook corner of land’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’ while the Suffolk placename comes from the Old English personal name Hōla + tūn. The Dorset placename derives from Old English hol ‘hole hollow’ or holt ‘wood grove thicket’ + tūn.2: Irish: altered form of O'Haltahan an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hUltacháin ‘descendant of Ultachán’ a diminutive of Ultach ‘Ulsterman’. This is a rare Fermanagh surname sometimes Anglicized as Nolan.
Holtorf : North German: habitational name from any of several places so named from holt ‘wood’ + dorf ‘village’.
Holtrop : Dutch: habitational name from any of several places so named for example near Vechta near Minden and near Leer. This is a metathesized form of the placename Holtorp from holt ‘wood’ + dorp ‘village’. This surname is also found in Germany but it is rare there.
Hult : Swedish: ornamental or topographic name from hult holt (Old Norse holt) ‘grove copse’ a common placename element.
Imholte : German: variant of Im Holz a topographic name for someone who lived in a wood Middle Low German holt with the addition of the fused preposition and definite article im ‘in the’.
Mannington : probably from Mannington in Holt (Dorset) Manton in Preshute (Wilts) which is recorded as Maninton in 1249 or less probably Mannington (Norfolk). The place-names derive from the Old English personal name Mann(a) + Old English connective -ing- + tūn ‘farmstead estate’.
Nockels : from Middle English ok-holt ‘oak grove’ (Old English āc + holt) with N- due to misdivision of the phrase atten ok-holt ‘at the oak grove’. The name may be topographic for someone who lived at an oak grove or toponymic probably from Occold (Suffolk) which is recorded as Acholt from 1086–1378. The final -s is a post-medieval addition.
Osterholt : 1: North German: topographic name from oster ‘east easterly’ + holt ‘wood’.2: Norwegian (Østerholt): habitational name from either of two farmsteads named Østerholt from Old Norse Austrholtar composed of the elements austr ‘east’ + holt ‘grove’.
Overholt : 1: Americanized form of Swiss German and German Oberholtzer and probably also of German Oberholz a topographic name from Middle High German ober ‘above’ (or German ober- ‘upper’) + holz ‘wood’.2: Norwegian: habitational name from the farm name Overholt a compound of over ‘upper’ and holt ‘grove wood’.
Polden : from Polden Hill (Somerset) which is recorded as Poweldun in 1235–52 and Poulden in 1241. The place-name derives from the name of a lost place recorded as Pouholt in a 14th-century copy of a document from 729 + Old English dūn ‘hill’. The place-name recorded as Pouholt may derive from Old Welsh pou ‘country’ + Old English holt ‘wood thicket’.
Ramsell : English:: 1: perhaps a habitational name from Ramshill Farm in Donhead Saint Mary (Wiltshire) or Ramshill Copse in Winterslow (also Wiltshire) recorded as Rameshull in 1362. The placenames may derive from Old English ramm ‘ram’ (genitive rammes) hramsa ‘wild garlic’ hræfn ‘raven’ (genitive hræfnes) or an Old English personal name Hræfn (genitive Hræfnes) + Old English hyll ‘hill’. However the modern distribution of the surname suggests at least in some cases a different origin probably from a lost or as yet unidentified place in the West Midlands.2: perhaps occasionally also a habitational name from Ramsholt (Suffolk) recorded as Ramesholt in 1086 and Ramisholt in 1291. The placename probably derives from Old English hramsa ‘wild garlic’ + holt ‘wood grove’ though the first element might alternatively be either ramm ‘ram’ (genitive rammes) or hræfn ‘raven’ (genitive hræfnes).
Rockall : 1: from Rockwell End in Hambleden (Bucks) which is recorded as Rokholte in 1340. The place-name derives from Old English hrōc ‘rook’ + holt ‘wood thicket’. 2: see Rockell.
Rockwell : English (Buckinghamshire): habitational name either from Rockwell End in Hambleden (Buckinghamshire) derived from Old English hrōc ‘rook’ + holt ‘wood thicket’ or from one or more unidentified places in southwestern England apparently named Rockwell. This surname is now rare in Britain.
Rosholt : Norwegian (Røsholt): habitational name from either of two farms called Røsholt in southeastern Norway named with Old Norse ross ‘mare’ or ruth ‘clearing’ + holt ‘grove’ ‘wood’.
Sparshott : from either of two places called Sparsholt (Hants Berks) both of which are recorded as Speresholt in the 12th century. The place-names derive from Old English spere *spearr ‘spear shaft rafter’ + holt ‘wood thicket’.
Umfleet : Altered form of English (Worcestershire) Anfleet or Amphlett a topographic name from Middle English an flete ‘by the stream’ in this case most probably the River Severn. Old English flēot ‘stream estuary creek’ is a common placename element in English (see Fleet). Holt Fleet ‘the wood by the river’ is the name of a place on the River Severn near where this surname was established in the 14th century.
Westerhold : North German: habitational name from any of the places called Westerholt for example in Oldenburg Hanover and Westphalia or a topographic name for someone who lived in woods to the west of a settlement from Middle Low German wester ‘westerly’ + holt ‘wood forest’.
Wignall : English (Lancashire): habitational name from Wiggenhall (Norfolk) Wiggenholt (Sussex) Wignal a minor place near Holmes in the parish of Croston (Lancashire). The Norfolk placename derives from the Old English personal name Wicga (genitive Wicgan; see Wigley) + Old English halh ‘nook corner of land’. The Sussex placename derives from the Old English personal name Wicga (genitive Wicgan) + Old English holt ‘wood thicket’. The Lancashire placename derives from the Old English personal name Wicga + Old English h(e)alh ‘nook corner recess’.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
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