HAYDEN Family History

Family spelling variants include Haydon, Hadden, Headen, Headon, Heden.

There are approximately 41,437 Hayden family members around the world. In general you can double this figure to include those related to the Hayden names to allow for those connected to the name through maiden name connections.

An English habitational name from any of various places called Hayden or Haydon. 

A locative name for a town, Hayden in Gloucestershire, derived from Old English heg ‘hay’ + denu ‘valley’. Others examples in Dorset, Hertfordshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, also get the name from Old English heg ‘hay’ (or perhaps hege ‘hedge’ or (ge)hæg ‘enclosure’) + dun ‘hill’ or mountain; hence “hay down”. 

Another locational name for Heyden, a town of Denmark; a place built, made, inclosed, or cultivated, from daane, Danish, to form, to fashion, to make, cultivate.

Early bearers of the surname include: James Haydon, provost marshal of Munster, 1572 in Fiants Elizabeth §2183; John Hayden, 1589 in Fiants Elizabeth §5378 (Croghan); William Heidon, clerk, treasurer, 1595 in Fiants Elizabeth §5943.

In 1891 census, the surname was recorded in England and Wales with 2,712 occurrences.

In 1881 census, the surname was widespread across England, especially London and Cambridgeshire. The frequent in Cambridgeshire with 407 occurrences. 

In 1881, Agricultural Labourer, Labourer and Carpenter were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Hayden. The most common Hayden occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. A less common occupation was Farm Labourer.

The noted, Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829 – 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Army during the Civil War.

Another noted, Thomas Emmet Hayden (1939 – 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. He was best known for his major role as an anti-war, civil rights, and radical intellectual activist in the 1960s, authoring the Port Huron Statement and standing trial in the Chicago Seven case.

1881, 1891 Census

1881 Census in Cambridgeshire

Dictionary of American Family Homes, P Hanks OUP 2003

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain, H.B. Guppy, London 1890

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, P.Hanks, Coats, McClure OUP 2016

1860 Lower, Mark A Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom, London: J.R Smith. Public Domain

1857 Arthur, William An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain

J.M.P