# Holmes (surname)

Holmes is an English-language surname with several origins.
The name can be a variant of the surname Holme. This surname has several etymological origins: it can be derived from a name for someone who lived next to a holly tree, from the Middle English holm; it can also be derived from the Old English holm and Old Norse holmr. Another probable origin of Holmes is from a placename near Dundonald, or else a place located in the barony of Inchestuir. The surname is also sometimes an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Thomáis; similarly, Holmes can also be a variant of Cavish, derived as an Anglicised form of Mac Thámhais.

## People
### A

* Alan Holmes, Welsh musician and record producer
* Albert Holmes (footballer, born 1885) (1885–?), English footballer
* Albert Holmes (footballer born 1942), English-born footballer
* Alex Holmes (born 1981), American football player
* Alexander Holmes, crewman of the ship William Brown, convicted of manslaughter in 1841 for forcing passengers out of an overloaded lifeboat
* Alexander Holmes, pseudonym of Hans Habe
* Alfred Holmes (1931–1994), sergeant of the Gibraltar Regiment
* Alfred Holmes (composer) (1837–1876), violinist and composer
* Alice Waring Holmes (1872 – 1939), dentist and suffragette
* Alvin Holmes (1939–2020), American politician
* Andre Holmes (born 1988), American football player; brother of Jason Holmes (see below)
* Andrew Holmes (disambiguation), multiple people
* Anthony Holmes, British author and businessman
* Anthony D. Holmes (born 1945), Australian plastic and reconstructive surgeon
* J. Anthony Holmes, American diplomat
* Arthur Holmes (1890–1965), British geologist
* Arthur F. Holmes (1924–2011), American professor of philosophy
* Ashton Holmes (born 1978), American film and TV actor
* Augusta Holmès (1847–1903), French composer

### B

* Barry Holmes (1928–1949), Anglo-Argentinian rugby union player
* Ben Holmes (1890–1943), American film director
* Benjamin Holmes (disambiguation)
* Besby Holmes (1917–2006), American World War II fighter pilot
* Bill Holmes (disambiguation)
* Brad Holmes (born 1979), American football executive
* Brenda Swann Holmes, American research chemist
* Bruce Holmes (born 1965), American football player
* Burton Holmes (1870–1958), American traveller, photographer and filmmaker

### C

* Catherine Holmes, Australian judge
* Charles Holmes (disambiguation)
* Charlie Holmes (1910–1985), American jazz saxophonist
* Chris Holmes (disambiguation)
* Christian Holmes (born 1997), American football player
* Christian R. Holmes II (1896–1944), decorated American soldier and zoo owner
* Chuck Holmes (ice hockey) (1934–2019), Canadian hockey player
* Clara H. Holmes (1838–1927), American writer
* Clarence Holmes (born 1968), also known as Ready Rock C, American musician
* Clay Holmes (born 1993), American baseball player
* Clent Holmes (1917–?), American guitarist

### D

* Daniel Henry Holmes (1816–1898), American businessman
* Danny Holmes (born 1989), English footballer
* Darnay Holmes (born 1998), American football player
* Darren Holmes (baseball) (born 1966), American baseball player and coach
* Dave Holmes (actor) (born 1971), American television personality
* Dave Holmes (sportscaster), American sportscaster
* David Holmes (disambiguation)
* Derek Holmes (born 1978), Scottish footballer
* Derek Holmes (ice hockey) (born 1939), Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and administrator
* Diane Holmes (born 1935), Canadian politician
* Don Holmes (born 1959), Australian rules football player
* Don Holmes (American football) (born 1961), American former National Football League player and college coach
* Donald F. Holmes (1910–1980), American inventor
* Donald Grahame Holmes, Australian electrical engineer

### E

* Eamonn Holmes (born 1959), Northern Irish journalist and broadcaster
* Earl Holmes, American football player
* Edmond Holmes (1850–1936), English writer and poet
* Edward Morell Holmes (1843–1930), British botanist
* Edwin Holmes (disambiguation)
* Elizabeth Holmes, American businesswoman, founder of Theranos
* Emma Holmes, American Civil War diarist
* Eric Holmes (racing driver) (born 1974), American race car driver
* Eric Holmes (video game designer), Scottish writer, creative director and videogame designer
* Eric Leighton Holmes, British chemist
* Ernest Holmes (1887–1960), founder of the movement known as Religious Science, also known as "Science of Mind," a part of the New Thought Movement
* Ernie Holmes (1948–2008), American football player
* Errol Holmes (1905–1960), English cricketer

### F

* Frank Holmes (disambiguation)
* Fred Holmes (1878–1956), American baseball player
* Frederic L. Holmes (1932–2003), American historian of science
* Frederick Hale Holmes (1812–1875), British professor of chemistry, pioneer of electric lighting and inventor
* Frederick William Holmes (1889–1969), English soldier awarded the Victoria Cross

### G

* Gabriel Holmes (1769–1829), American politician
* Gavrielle Holmes, American politician
* Genta Hawkins Holmes (born 1940), American foreign service officer
* George Holmes (archivist) (1662–1749), English archivist and editor of Thomas Rymer's Fœdera
* George Holmes (historian) (1927–2009), Chichele Professor of Medieval History Emeritus at the University of Oxford
* George Frederick Holmes (1829–1897), American educator
* George M. Holmes (1929–2009), U.S. politician
* Gordon Morgan Holmes (1876–1965), British neurologist
* Grant Holmes (born 1996), American baseball player
* Greg Holmes (cricketer) (born 1993), Welsh cricketer
* Greg Holmes (rugby union) (born 1983), Australian rugby union player
* Greg Holmes (tennis) (born 1963), American former tennis player

### H

* Hamilton E. Holmes (1941–1995), American physician who helped desegregate the University of Georgia as one of the first two African-American students
* Hap Holmes (1889–1940), Canadian ice hockey goalie
* Harold Holmes (disambiguation)
* Harry Holmes (disambiguation)
* Harvey Holmes (1873–1948), American college football player and coach of football, baseball and track
* Helen Freudenberger Holmes (1915–1997), American journalist, historian, teacher, politician and Women's Army Corps officer
* Helen Holmes (actress) (1893–1950), American actress
* Henry Holmes (disambiguation)
* H. H. Holmes (1861–1896), American con man, killer and bigamist
* Howdy Holmes (born 1949), American racing driver
* Hugh Holmes (1840–1916), Irish politician

### I

* Ian Holmes (disambiguation)

### J

* J. Anthony Holmes, American diplomat
* Jacob Holmes (born 1983), Australian basketball player
* Jackie Holmes (1920–1995), American Formula One driver
* Jake Holmes (born 1939), American folk-pop singer/songwriter
* Jalyn Holmes (born 1996), American football player
* James Holmes (disambiguation)
* Jason Holmes (born 1989), American Australian rules footballer; brother of Andre Holmes
* Jennie Florella Holmes (1842–1892), American suffragist and temperance activist
* Jennifer Holmes (disambiguation), multiple people
* Jerome Holmes (born 1961), American federal judge
* Jessica Holmes (born 1973), Canadian comedian and actor
* Jimmy Holmes (born 1953), Irish former professional footballer
* Joan Holmes (born 1935), founding president of The Hunger Project
* Joe Holmes (born 1963), American heavy metal guitarist
* Joe Holmes (singer) (1906–1978), Irish singer
* Joel Holmes (1821–1872), English soldier awarded the Victoria Cross
* John Holmes (disambiguation)
* Jon Holmes (born 1973), British comedy writer and broadcaster
* Jonathan Holmes (disambiguation)
* Joseph Holmes (disambiguation)
* Josh Holmes (boxer) (born 1995), English boxer
* Josh Holmes (rugby union) (born 1987), Australian rugby union player
* Josh Holmes (video game designer) (born 1973), Canadian game producer and video game designer
* Julie Lynn Holmes, American former figure skater

### K

* Katie Holmes (born 1978), American actress
* Keith Holmes (palaeobotanist) (born 1933), Australian palaeobotanist
* Keith Holmes (boxer) (born 1969), American boxer
* Kelda Holmes (born 1970), English actress
* Kelly Holmes (born 1970), British middle-distance athlete
* Kenneth Holmes (1934–2021), British scientist
* King K. Holmes (born 1937), American physician, medical researcher, and medical school professor
* Kris Holmes (born 1950), American type designer

### L

* Larry Holmes (born 1949), American boxer
* La'Shanda Holmes (born 1985), American Coast Guard helicopter pilot
* Laura Holmes (1932–2016), American NSA career cryptanalyst
* Lee Holmes (born 1987), English footballer
* Len Holmes, Australian rugby league footballer
* Linda Holmes (born 1959), American politician
* Lindsey Holmes (born 1973), American politician
* Lizzie Holmes (1850–1926), American anarchist and editor
* Louis Holmes, American football player
* Lucy Holmes (born 1979), British-born Australian TV presenter and performer

### M

* Mackenzie Holmes (born c. 2001), American basketball player
* Margaret Holmes (1909–2009), Australian peace activist
* Margaret Holmes (ecumenist) (1886–1981), Australian refugee resettlement officer
* Margaret Flagg Holmes (1886–1976), co-founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority
* Mark Holmes (disambiguation)
* Martha Holmes (photographer) (1923–2006), American photographer
* Martha Holmes (broadcaster), British marine biologist, TV journalist and producer
* Mary Holmes (disambiguation)
* Matt Holmes (actor) (born 1976), Australian actor
* Matthew Holmes (engineer) (1844–1903), chief mechanical engineer of the North British Railway
* Maurice Holmes (cricketer), English cricketer and barrister
* Michael Holmes (disambiguation)
* Michelle Holmes (born 1967), English actress
* Mike Holmes (born 1963), Canadian professional contractor and host of Holmes on Homes
* Mike Holmes (born 1948), British electrical engineer
* Mike Holmes (wide receiver) (born 1950), Canadian Football League receiver

### N

* Nancy Holmes (born 1959), Canadian poet and educator
* Nick Holmes (disambiguation)

### O

* Obadiah Holmes (1610–1682), early Rhode Island settler and Baptist minister
* Oliver Holmes (rugby league) (born 1992), Canadian rugby player
* Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809–1894), poet and essayist
* Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935), justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
* Oscar Holmes (1916–2001), first African-American Naval Aviator and air traffic controller

### P

* Paul Holmes (disambiguation)
* Pehr G. Holmes (1881–1952), US Representative from Massachusetts
* Percy Holmes (1886–1971), English cricketer
* Pete or Peter Holmes (disambiguation)
* Philip Holmes (born 1945), American engineering professor
* Phillips Holmes (1907–1942), American film actor
* Portia Holmes Shields, American academic administrator
* Priest Holmes (born 1973), American football player

### R

* Ray Holmes (1914–2005), British Second World War fighter pilot
* Rand Holmes, (1942–2002), Canadian comic artist
* Reggie Holmes (born 1987), American basketball player
* Renita Holmes, American housing activist
* Richard Holmes (disambiguation)
* Richaun Holmes (born 1993), American basketball player
* Robert Holmes (disambiguation)
* Rupert Holmes, British-American composer, singer-songwriter and dramatist
* Ruth Bradley Holmes (1924–2021), American linguist, educator, and polyglot

### S

* Samuel Jackson Holmes (1868–1964), American zoologist
* Santonio Holmes (born 1984), American footballer and Super Bowl XLIII MVP
* Sharon Holmes (1950–2015), Canadian artist (née Sharon Christian)
* Simon Hugh Holmes (1831–1919), Nova Scotia politician, publisher and lawyer
* Stanley Holmes, 1st Baron Dovercourt (1878–1961), British politician
* Steve Holmes (actor) (born 1961), Romanian-born German pornographic film actor
* Susan Holmes (disambiguation)

### T

* Taylor Holmes (1878–1959), American stage actor
* Terry Holmes (born 1957), former Welsh international rugby union player
* Theophilus H. Holmes (1804–1880), Confederate Civil War lieutenant general
* Thomas Holmes (disambiguation)
* Tim Holmes (artist) (born 1955), American sculptor, filmmaker and musician
* Tim Holmes (actor) (born 1967), American actor
* Timothy Holmes (1825–1907), English surgeon
* Tina Holmes (born 1973), American television and film actress
* Tom Holmes (born 1979), contemporary American artist
* Tom Holmes (British politician) (born 1930s), current chairman of the far-right British political party the National Front
* Tommy Holmes (1917–2008), American baseball player

### V

* Valentine Holmes (born 1995), Australian-born American football player and rugby player
* Valerie Susan Holmes (born 1946), English beauty pageant contestant
* Victoria Holmes, English novelist

### W

* William Holmes (Australian general) (1862–1917), Australian Army Major General during World War I
* William Holmes (British general), British Army officer of WWI and WWII
* William Edgar Holmes (1895–1918), English soldier and VC recipient
* William Holmes (1779–1851), British politician
* William Holmes (British Army officer) (1892–1969), British general during the Second World War
* William Henry Holmes (1846–1933), American anthropologist, archaeologist, geologist and museum director
* William Henry Holmes (musician) (1812–1885), English musician
* William Norman Holmes (1896–1981), British air gunner

## Fictional characters

* Enola Holmes (character), sister of Sherlock Holmes created by Nancy Springer
* Hemlock Holmes, a character from UPA's Dick Tracy cartoon
* Mycroft Holmes, brother of Sherlock Holmes
* Sherlock Holmes, fictional detective