Alternative derivations of the name Holnicote, which was spelled variously as "Honecote," "Hunecote" or "Hunecota", have been suggested. It may relate to "holegn", the Anglo-Saxon word for holly. Eilert Ekwall supports the claim that places which start "Holne" come from the Old English "holegn" meaning holly, while Stephen Robinson, in his book on local place names prefers an explanation "The Honey Cottage" from the Old English "honeg" and "cot". In the 19th century, the Rector of Selworthy, the Rev. F. Hancock, who was said to have extensively studied the place-names of his parish, preferred the old English personal name "Hùn" for the first element.