UK girl's name
Holli
A feminine given name of Old English origin meaning "dweller in the holly bushes".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Holli is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Holli popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5666, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2004, with 31 births.
This profile covers 347 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 1996 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 10% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 458 living people in the UK are called Holli. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Holli ranked #5666 for girls in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2004, when 31 girls were registered as Holli.
- • Holli ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #806 in 2015.
- • About 458 living people in the UK are estimated to have Holli as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5666
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
2004
31 births
Estimated living
458
2026
Meaning
What does Holli mean?
The name Holli is derived from the Old English word "holih," which means "hollow" or "sunken." It is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, sometime between the 5th and 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holli can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property values commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this document, a landowner named Holli is listed as holding property in the county of Norfolk.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Holli was relatively uncommon, but it can be found in various historical records and documents from that period. One notable bearer of the name was Holli of Huntingdon, a 12th-century chronicler and historian who wrote extensively about the history of England.
During the Renaissance period, the name Holli gained some popularity, particularly among the upper classes. One famous bearer of the name was Holli Holbein, a German artist and printmaker who lived from 1497 to 1543. He is best known for his portraits of prominent figures of the time, including King Henry VIII of England.
In the 17th century, the name Holli appeared in several literary works, including the play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by William Shakespeare. One of the characters in the play is named Holli Page.
Another notable bearer of the name Holli was Holli Parke, an English botanist and gardener who lived from 1663 to 1706. He is credited with introducing numerous plant species to England and is considered one of the pioneers of modern horticulture.
As the name Holli continued to be used over the centuries, it gained various spellings and variations, such as Holly, Hollie, and Hallie. While it has remained a relatively uncommon name, it has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history, including the American actress Holli Hunter, born in 1958, and the Canadian singer-songwriter Holli Cole, born in 1981.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Holli over time
The chart below shows babies named Holli registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Holli, the clearest high point is 2004. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2018, compared with 31 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Holli by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Holli was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #3896 | 51 | 8 |
| 2000s | #1174 | 230 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1225 | 66 | 4 |
Geography
Where Holli is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Holli. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Holli ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #806 in 2015.
Across the UK
Holli in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#806 in 2015
25 years of NRS records, 114 total registered
Related
Names similar to Holli
- Hannah 67,635
- Holly 52,307
- Harriet 24,781
- Hollie 17,902
- Harper 15,784
- Heidi 12,675
- Hallie 9,873
- Hope 9,414
- Hayley 5,968
- Hazel 5,954
- Hanna 5,735
- Heather 5,497
FAQ
Holli: questions and answers
How popular is the name Holli in the UK right now?
In 2018, Holli was ranked #5666 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Holli most popular?
The peak year on record was 2004, with 31 babies registered as Holli in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Holli?
A feminine given name of Old English origin meaning "dweller in the holly bushes".
How many people are called Holli in the UK?
A total of 347 babies have been registered as Holli across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 114 more in Scotland.
Where is Holli most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Holli ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #806 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.