Holt (surname)

Etymology

Holt is a surname and placename, of Proto-Germanic origin and meaning a small wood or grove of trees. It derives from the Old English word holt and is a near-synonym of "wold" (from Old English wald), originally denoting a forested upland. Those words are cognates of the modern German words "Holz" and "Wald" respectively.

The word is also found in Scandinavian placenames and in surnames derived from them: in Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic as Holt (or the more archaic Danish Holdt and Holte); in Swedish as Hult or Hulte; and even in Finnish as Hulti (a loanword from Swedish). It is often used in combination with other words, as in Uhrenholdt ("ancient holt", a Danish last name taken from that of an estate) or Älghult ("elk holt"), a village and the site of a small art-glass factory in Småland, Sweden. In Sweden it is most commonly found in and around Småland, including Älmhult, the location of the first IKEA store.

Another spelling of the name is "Hoult", more commonly found in the north of England than in the south, indicating that it is more likely in this case to be derived directly from Old Norse.

Related German names include Holz, Holzman, Holzhauer, et al., and their anglicized equivalents which often insert a "t" between the "l" and the "z".

Notable people named Holt (including alternative spellings and derivations)

Places with name Holt (or derivative forms)