Heiden (surname)

The surname Heiden has a number of different spellings including Haydn, Heide, Heid, Heidling, Heideling, Heidt, Heyde. The toponym exists as Heiden in a number of places in Germany and Switzerland.[1][2]

As a nickname, it comes from the Middle High German heiden meaning "Heathen". The Middle High German heiden in turn comes from the Old High German heidano, a derivative of heida, "heath".[1][2] Many have taken the name Haydn as a given name, after the composer Joseph Haydn, whose name comes from the use of heiden as a nickname to mean "heathen".[3]

As an Ashkenazi Jewish name it may be a shortened form of placenames with the compound Heide, such as Heidenberg.[1] It may also be another use of the nickname Heida, meaning "heathen".[2]

As a Dutch name it is a shortened version of the surname Vanderheyden.[1]

People with the surname

References

  1. ^ a b c d Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Hayden, Answers.com, retrieved 2 August 2014. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c Surname Database: Heiden, Surnamedb.com, retrieved 2 August 2014.
  3. ^ Oxford Reference: Haydn, Oxfordreference.com, retrieved 2 August 2014.