Hayden (given name)

Hayden

Hayden is a variant of Haydn derived in honour of Joseph Haydn (pictured)
Pronunciation hɛidɜn
Gender Masculine
Language(s) English
Origin
Language(s) Old High German
Derivation heidano
Meaning heathen
Other names
Variant form(s) Haydn, Haydon
Related names Haydn (surname)
See also Hayden (surname)
Look up Hayden in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Hayden is a given name in the English language. The name is variant of the given name Haydn, which is derived from the surname Haydn in honour of composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). The surname Haydn originated as a respelling of the nickname Heiden, meaning "heathen". The name is derived from the Middle High German heiden, and from the Old High German heidano.[1]

The form Haydn was generally considered a masculine given name up until the mid 20th century.[1] The popularity of Hayden has been influenced by the popularity of similar sounding names such as Aidan, Braden, Caden, and Jaden.[2]

In the United States, the name became progressively less used for males, dropping out of the top 1000 names before 1950. In the 1980s the name reappeared, but was used for both males and females, with increasing popularity. As of 2013 its popularity continues to increase for both males and females.[3]

People

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 120, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  2. Rosenkrantz, Linda, and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2007). The Baby Name Bible. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-35220-2, p. 343
  3. U.S. Social Security Administration database of baby names