Show ContentsHole History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hole

What does the name Hole mean?

The first bearers of the distinguished surname Hole came to England in the great wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is occupational in origin, stemming from the primary activity of the bearer. It is derived from the Old French term "halle," which referred to a large manor house, which indicates that the original bearer of the name worked at the manor of the local Lord in some role such as a servant or chamberlain. 1 2 3

Many of the Norman noblemen who came to England with William the Conqueror soon grew dissatisfied with William's rule; as such, members of the Hole family accepted land grants from King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland, and became prominent in that country.

Early Origins of the Hole family

The surname Hole was first found in Lincolnshire, England, where the family was granted lands after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Hole family is directly descended from Earl Fitzwilliam, who held a family seat at Greatford Hall in Lincolnshire, after the Norman Conquest.

The younger son of this noble house, Arthur FitzWilliam, came to be known as "Hall" so as to distinguish him from his senior brother. Hence, Arthur Hall was the first known bearer of the name, appearing on record about the year 1090. 4

In Scotland, the name in Latin was de Aula and accordingly, the first record here was "Waldeu de Aula who witnessed a charter by Walter de Veteri Ponte a. 1200." 5

Over one hundred years later the English version of the name was in use as "John of the Hall was one of an inquest made at Berwick, 1302 and c. 1311 Thomas dictus del Halle witnessed resignation by Adam de Dowane of his land of Grenryg in the barony of Lesmahagow." 5

During this period, Latin and English for records was in use as about the same time as the last entries, we found "in 1325 mention is made of Thomas dictus de Aula, and Andreas de Aula held land in Aynstrother c. 1330. The first Hall of Fulbar in Renfrewshire was Thomas de Aula, surgeon, who for his faithful service obtained from Robert II a grant of land in the tenement of Staneley, barony of Renffrow, 1370." 5

Early History of the Hole family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hole research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1376, 1400, 1423, 1426, 1454, 1456, 1463, 1470, 1485, 1550, 1574, 1581, 1600, 1610, 1613, 1619, 1620, 1627, 1637, 1646, 1654, 1656, 1657, 1660, 1661, 1662, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1668, 1669, 1672, 1674, 1687, 1688, 1690, 1715, 1716, 1730, 1776 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hole History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hole Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hall, Halle, Haule, Haul, Hal, De Aule and others.

Early Notables of the Hole family

Notable among the family at this time was John Hall, known as "Mad Jack Hall" and "Crazy Jack Hall" (1672-1716), a Scottish Jacobite leader, property owner and a Justice of Peace in Northumberland, a major figure during the First Scottish Uprising in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, he was beheaded for high treason on 13 July 1716; and Lyman Hall of Georgia, one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776.In England, Joseph Hall (1574-1656), was an English bishop, satirist and moralist; George Hall (c.1613-1668), an English Bishop...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hole Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hole Ranking

In the United States, the name Hole is the 13,037th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Hole family to Ireland

Some of the Hole family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hole migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hole Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Hole, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 7
  • Thomas Hole, who landed in Virginia in 1652 7
Hole Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henry Hole, who arrived in New England in 1750 7
Hole Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Hole, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 7
  • Abel Hole, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 7
  • Anders A. Hole, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1895
Hole Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Anna S. Hole, aged 33, who settled in America, in 1902
  • Ann Lescy Hole, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Newton Heath, in 1903
  • Caroline Hole, aged 33, who landed in America, in 1907
  • Albert Hole, aged 29, who landed in America from Walham Abbey, England, in 1908
  • Alice Hole, aged 32, who settled in America from Walham Abbey, England, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hole (post 1700) +

  • Michael "Mike" Hole Hole (1941-1976), British-born American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey
  • William Edward Hole, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1948 8
  • Tom Blake Hole, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1952 8
  • Martin Hole (1959-2024), Norwegian cross-country skier, he competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics
  • Very Rev Canon Derek Norman Hole (1933-2021), British Church of England priest who spent most of his long career living and ministering in Leicestershire
  • Richard Hole (1746-1803), English poet and antiquary, the son of William Hole, archdeacon of Barnstaple and canon of Exeter Cathedral, who died in 1791 9
  • William Brassey Hole RSA (1846-1917), English artist, illustrator, etcher and engraver
  • Lois Elsa Hole CM, AOE (1929-2005), Canadian politician and author, 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
  • Barrington Gerard "Barrie" Hole (b. 1942), Welsh international footballer


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 4 August 2020


Houseofnames.com on Facebook