An English surname, Holcomb comes from the Old English terms ‘hol’ and ‘cumb’ which means a deep valley. A spelling variation for Holcomb is Holcombe. In England the early Holcomb families settled in Devon in the southwest region. Over the centuries, from there they spread to the city of London, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Dorset and Lancashire counties. Within the United States the early Holcomb families lived in New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky and Michigan. Famous: William F. Holcomb (19th century founder of Holcombe Valley in California and finding gold in the region), Kelly Holcomb (professional football player), Randy Holcomb (professional basketball player), David A. Holcomb (actor, film director and producer), Roscoe Holcomb (musician of Appalachian folk music), Steve Holcomb (champion Olympic bobsledder) and Darin M. Holcomb (professional baseball player).