An English surname of Holmes is from the Old English surname of ‘holen’. The name became ‘holme’ which meant a piece of land surround by a stream or river.

Spelling variations include Hulme, Holms and Holme. In the western region of Ireland the Holmes name is written Cavish.

The Holmes families originated in the Lancashire county and now are concentrated in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and in London. In Scotland in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire counties are the populations of Holmes families.

In the United States the states of Georgia, Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York are high in populations with the Holmes surname. Many additional Holmes families are in Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas.


Famous: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (U. S. Supreme Court Judge), Larry Holmes (boxing champion), Edwin Holmes (19th century inventor of the burglar alarm), Errol Holmes (cricketer play in England), Fred Holmes (professional baseball player), Jake Holmes (singer), Katie Holmes (actress) and Theophilus H. Holmes (Civil War Confederate lieutenant general).