Several notable persons in history have been named John Holland:
- John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter (1352? - January 16, 1400), was half-brother to Richard II of England and second husband of Elizabeth Plantagenet, daughter of John of Gaunt.
- John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter (1395 - 1447), was the son of the 1st duke (above) and father of Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter.
- John Philip Holland (1840 -1914) designed submarines for the U.S. Navy.
- John Henry Holland (1929 - ) was a pioneering founder of the optimization methods now known as genetic algorithms.
