What Does Holt Mean?

Holt is a common surname or the name of a place. This word has its traced to Proto-Germanic times and means trees or a copse. It has been incorporated into English since the time of Anglo-Saxons. Holz and Wald are terms that are equivalent to it in the German language. This word is also found in the Scandinavian languages.
Some of the famous names by this word are Benjamin Holt, machinery inventor, whose eponymous manufacturing company merged with another firm to become Caterpillar Inc., Harold Holt, former Prime Minister of Australia, John Caldwell Holt, author and founding father of the home schooling movement, Ric Holt, Canadian computer scientist and many others.
There are also several places by the name of Holt. Some of them are Holt, Dorset, Holt, Wiltshire, Holt, and Worcestershire in England; Holt, Florida, Holt County, Missouri, Holt, Michigan in United States; as well as many more in several other countries like Netherlands, Sweden and Australia.