NameCensus.

UK surname

Holdridge

A locational surname derived from a place near a ridge.

In the 1881 census there were 89 people recorded with the Holdridge surname, ranking it #21,091 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 106, ranked #29,927, down from #21,091 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Basford, Wolstanton and Doncaster. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blaby, Doncaster and Milton Keynes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holdridge is 119 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.1%.

1881 census count

89

Ranked #21,091

Modern count

106

2016, ranked #29,927

Peak year

1998

119 bearers

Map years

4

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holdridge had 89 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,091 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016, ranked #29,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 107 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Holdridge surname distribution map

The map shows where the Holdridge surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Holdridge surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holdridge over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 64 #21,914
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 89 #21,091
1891 historical 101 #23,870
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 98 #22,959
1997 modern 108 #25,788
1998 modern 119 #24,918
1999 modern 113 #25,913
2000 modern 104 #27,150
2001 modern 104 #26,765
2002 modern 103 #27,443
2003 modern 100 #27,722
2004 modern 93 #29,065
2005 modern 92 #29,271
2006 modern 88 #30,160
2007 modern 94 #29,650
2008 modern 95 #29,822
2009 modern 97 #30,076
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 97 #30,552
2012 modern 111 #28,332
2013 modern 108 #29,379
2014 modern 108 #29,658
2015 modern 107 #29,708
2016 modern 106 #29,927

Geography

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Where Holdridges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Basford, Wolstanton, Doncaster, St Werburgh and West Halton, Burton-on-Stather, Flixborough (Crosby). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blaby, Doncaster, Milton Keynes and Trafford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Basford Nottinghamshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Doncaster Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 West Halton, Burton-on-Stather, Flixborough (Crosby) Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blaby 011 Blaby
2 Doncaster 022 Doncaster
3 Milton Keynes 012 Milton Keynes
4 Trafford 018 Trafford
5 Doncaster 032 Doncaster

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holdridge

These lists show first names that appear often with the Holdridge surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holdridge

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Holdridge, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Holdridge surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Holdridge household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Holdridge is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Holdridge is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Holdridge falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Holdridge is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Holdridge, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Holdridge

The surname Holdridge is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "holh" meaning a hollow or sunken place, and "ridge" meaning a ridge or hill. It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a hollow or sunken area on a ridge.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century in various counties of England, including Yorkshire, Dorset, and Wiltshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Holderidge, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as Holridge in Somerset and Holdridge in Devon, which may have been the ancestral homes of some early Holdridge families.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations, such as Holderich, Holderige, Holdrich, and Holdredge. Some of these alternate spellings persisted well into the 17th and 18th centuries.

One notable bearer of the Holdridge name was John Holdridge, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol in the early 16th century. Another was Thomas Holdridge, born in 1610, who was a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of the town of Hingham, Massachusetts.

Other notable Holdridges throughout history include:

1. Sir Herbert Holdridge (1587-1649), an English soldier and landowner who fought in the English Civil War. 2. John Holdridge (1698-1780), an English clergyman and writer who authored several theological works. 3. George Holdridge (1802-1875), an American inventor and manufacturer of agricultural machinery. 4. Mary Holdridge (1825-1909), a British educator and philanthropist who founded several schools for girls in England. 5. William Holdridge (1860-1942), an American artist known for his landscape paintings of the American West.

While the Holdridge surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries and various notable bearers across multiple fields and professions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holdridge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holdridge surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 60 Holdridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.98x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 60 6.98x
Derbyshire 8 5.89x
Staffordshire 8 2.73x
Lincolnshire 6 4.32x
Leicestershire 4 4.16x
Nottinghamshire 2 1.71x
Hampshire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Goole in Yorkshire leads with 13 Holdridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 902.78x.

Place Total Index
Goole 13 902.78x
Doncaster 11 175.16x
Newcastle Under Lyme 8 154.44x
Holbeck 7 122.81x
Sculcoates 6 43.99x
Swinefleet 6 1621.62x
Burton Upon Stather 5 2777.78x
Derby St Peter 5 115.47x
Prestwold Hoton 4 4444.44x
Rothwell 4 229.89x
Scarborough 4 51.15x
West Ardsley 4 384.62x
Bubwith 3 2000.00x
Mark Eaton 2 1000.00x
Boston 1 23.75x
Derby All Sts 1 88.50x
Escrick 1 588.24x
Newark Upon Trent 1 23.81x
North Duffield 1 909.09x
Rempstone 1 1111.11x
Wootton St Lawrence 1 333.33x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Holdridge surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Holdridge surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 7
Thomas 7
George 6
Fred 3
William 3
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arhur 1
Arthur 1
Byron 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Freeman 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Robt. 1
Wilfred 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Holdridge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holdridge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 89 people were recorded with the Holdridge surname. That placed it at #21,091 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holdridge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016. That gives Holdridge a modern rank of #29,927.

What does the Holdridge surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place near a ridge.

What does the Holdridge map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Holdridge bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.