Where Does the Holladay Surname Come From?

Holladay is best understood alongside Holliday: both are English spellings of a single family name. Its meaning, shared with Holliday, is “born on a holy day”. Holladay writes “a” in place of the “i” found in Holliday, a common scribal difference. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them. The same family of names includes Holiday and Hallyday.

Holladay ranked 6,924 in the 2010 US Census, with 4,845 people answering to the name. Names that sound alike, such as Halliday, are easily confused in old records.

Looking for a Holladay coat of arms? Arms were granted to families, not to surnames, and our research shows which heraldic tradition fits yours. Want more than a summary? See the Holladay family name pack.