Character Name
Holden
Holden Through Salinger's Holden Caulfield, the name became inextricably linked to youthful idealism, cynicism, and the painful transition to adulthood. Characters named Holden are often depicted as sensitive observers who see through social pretense and suffer for their honesty — too principled to compromise, too young to know how to survive without doing so.
Best genres for Holden
Famous characters named Holden
Holden Caulfield
The Catcher in the Rye — J.D. Salinger
The alienated sixteen-year-old narrator whose raw, immediate voice and fierce hatred of "phoniness" made him one of the most iconic characters in American literature.
Variations & nicknames
Pairs well with
Writing a character named Holden?
Hearth's distraction-free editor helps you develop characters and write every day.
More English names
Audrey
“Audrey is an English feminine name, the Anglo-Norman form of the Old English Æthelþryð, composed of æthel meaning "noble" and þryð meaning "strength" — thus "noble strength." It was the name of Saint Audrey (Saint Æthelthryth), the seventh-century Abbess of Ely, whose legend linked cheap lace sold at her feast-day fair to the word "tawdry" — though the name itself retains its original nobility.”
Alayna
“Alayna is a modern variant of Alaina, itself an English elaboration of the Irish/Scottish Gaelic name Aileen or Helen, derived from the Greek Helene meaning "torch" or "light." The spelling Alayna emerged in American English in the twentieth century as a distinctive feminine form.”
Curtis
“Curtis is an English masculine name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French curteis meaning "courteous," "well-bred," or "refined," itself from cort (court) combined with a suffix implying courtly manners. It was a name given to those associated with noble courts and their refined social codes.”
Zack
“Zack is an English masculine given name, typically a short form of Zachary or Zachariah, which derive from the Hebrew Zechariah meaning "God has remembered" or "remembered by God," from zachor (to remember) and yah (God). As an independent name it is found primarily in English-speaking countries, carrying an informal, contemporary quality.”
Eula
“Eula is an English feminine given name, a shortened form of Eulalia, derived from the Greek eulalia meaning "well-spoken" or "sweetly speaking," from eu (well, good) and lalein (to speak). Saint Eulalia of Mérida was a fourth-century Spanish martyr, and the name saw particular use in the American South during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.”
Queen
“Queen is an English feminine given name derived directly from the common noun queen, from Old English cwen meaning "woman," "wife," or "queen." As a given name it appears in African-American naming traditions as both a title-name and an expression of dignity and majesty. It may also originate as a shortening of the surname MacQueen.”
Explore more