NameCensus.

UK surname

Hayden

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "hay valley" or "hay hill" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 2,339 people recorded with the Hayden surname, ranking it #1,899 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,551, ranked #1,209, up from #1,899 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Newchurch and Willingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, South Oxfordshire and Huntingdonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hayden is 5,757 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 137.3%.

1881 census count

2,339

Ranked #1,899

Modern count

5,551

2016, ranked #1,209

Peak year

2010

5,757 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hayden had 2,339 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,899 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,551 in 2016, ranked #1,209.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,765 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hayden surname distribution map

The map shows where the Hayden surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Hayden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hayden over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,346 #2,141
1861 historical 1,338 #2,142
1881 historical 2,339 #1,899
1891 historical 2,779 #1,696
1901 historical 3,405 #1,634
1911 historical 3,765 #1,374
1997 modern 5,291 #1,231
1998 modern 5,482 #1,237
1999 modern 5,540 #1,235
2000 modern 5,519 #1,235
2001 modern 5,409 #1,233
2002 modern 5,582 #1,216
2003 modern 5,393 #1,233
2004 modern 5,418 #1,225
2005 modern 5,347 #1,221
2006 modern 5,395 #1,205
2007 modern 5,428 #1,204
2008 modern 5,466 #1,200
2009 modern 5,619 #1,199
2010 modern 5,757 #1,200
2011 modern 5,646 #1,205
2012 modern 5,527 #1,202
2013 modern 5,580 #1,220
2014 modern 5,630 #1,215
2015 modern 5,555 #1,214
2016 modern 5,551 #1,209

Geography

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Where Haydens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Newchurch, Willingham and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, South Oxfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Uttlesford and Wirral. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 Willingham Cambridgeshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 009 Pembrokeshire
2 South Oxfordshire 020 South Oxfordshire
3 Huntingdonshire 003 Huntingdonshire
4 Uttlesford 005 Uttlesford
5 Wirral 011 Wirral

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hayden

These lists show first names that appear often with the Hayden surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hayden

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hayden, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Hayden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hayden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Hayden is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hayden is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hayden falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hayden is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Hayden, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hayden

The surname Hayden is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "heg" meaning "hay" and "denu" meaning "valley" or "hill". It is believed to have originated as a toponymic name, referring to someone who lived in or near a valley where hay was grown.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1182, where a person named William de Haydene is mentioned. The name was also found in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, with a reference to a William de la Hayden.

Hayden is a variant spelling of the place name Heydon, which can be found in various locations across England, such as Heydon in Norfolk, Heydon in Northamptonshire, and Heydon in Somerset. These place names likely derived from the Old English words "heg" and "dun", meaning "hay hill" or "hay valley".

Notable historical figures with the surname Hayden include Hob Hayden, a 16th-century outlaw and highwayman who was active in the area around Somerset and Gloucestershire. Sir John Hayden (c. 1470-1518) was a courtier and landowner from Dorset who served under King Henry VIII.

In the 17th century, John Hayden (1594-1627) was an English poet and clergyman known for his work "A Rebuke to the Censors of the Church of England". Gideon Hayden (1605-1692) was an early settler and landowner in Massachusetts, arriving in the American colonies in the 1630s.

The 19th century saw the birth of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1828-1887), an American geologist and surveyor who explored the American West and is renowned for his contributions to the study of the region's geology and natural history.

These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the surname Hayden throughout the centuries, originating from its English roots as a place name denoting a location where hay was grown or harvested.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hayden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hayden surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 389 Haydens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.71x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 389 1.71x
Hampshire 268 5.74x
Essex 249 5.54x
Cambridgeshire 167 11.57x
Lancashire 145 0.54x
Surrey 123 1.11x
Gloucestershire 98 2.19x
Yorkshire 86 0.38x
Hertfordshire 84 5.35x
Kent 80 1.03x
Staffordshire 74 0.96x
Norfolk 66 1.88x
Somerset 59 1.61x
Warwickshire 55 0.96x
Wiltshire 45 2.23x
Sussex 40 1.04x
Berkshire 36 2.10x
Oxfordshire 29 2.06x
Cheshire 25 0.50x
Devon 25 0.53x
Cornwall 22 0.85x
Worcestershire 17 0.57x
Durham 14 0.21x
Glamorgan 14 0.35x
Lanarkshire 14 0.19x
Dorset 12 0.80x
Midlothian 12 0.39x
Nottinghamshire 11 0.36x
Northamptonshire 10 0.47x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.65x
Shropshire 9 0.46x
Northumberland 8 0.24x
Royal Navy 7 2.58x
Suffolk 7 0.25x
Monmouthshire 5 0.30x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.88x
Derbyshire 3 0.08x
Brecknockshire 2 0.44x
Lincolnshire 2 0.05x
Merionethshire 2 0.48x
Ayrshire 1 0.06x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.11x
Cumberland 1 0.05x
Denbighshire 1 0.12x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.20x
Leicestershire 1 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.19x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.14x
Renfrewshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Willingham in Cambridgeshire leads with 59 Haydens recorded in 1881 and an index of 478.51x.

Place Total Index
Willingham 59 478.51x
West Ham 47 4.73x
Portsea 44 4.81x
Islington London 39 1.77x
Lambeth 33 1.66x
Mile End Old Town London 33 6.80x
Bethnal Green London 31 3.13x
St Andrewthe Less 31 18.80x
Kensington London 30 2.37x
Everton 28 3.25x
Ryde 28 27.91x
Birmingham 27 1.41x
Brading 27 43.50x
Kingswinford 26 9.31x
High Roothing 23 659.03x
Bishop Stortford 21 40.03x
Bromley London 19 3.79x
Salford 19 2.39x
Camberwell 18 1.24x
Hackney London 18 1.41x
Birkenhead 17 4.24x
Croydon 17 2.76x
St Keverne 17 119.72x
Aston 16 1.01x
Bow London 16 5.52x
Clerkenwell London 16 2.97x
St Maurice Winchester 16 82.43x
Charterhouse Hinton 15 348.03x
Debden 15 235.85x
Hammersmith London 15 2.67x
Rickling 15 424.93x
Edmonton 14 7.63x
Kimberworth 14 11.17x
St Pancras London 14 0.76x
Croxton 13 567.69x
St Marylebone London 13 1.07x
Carisbrooke 12 18.51x
Chipping Campden 12 82.47x
Duxford 12 198.68x
Fawley 12 81.03x
Liverpool 12 0.73x
Over Norton 12 348.84x
Thriplow 12 333.33x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 2.56x
Gillingham 11 42.80x
Godshill 11 102.04x
Leyton 11 14.20x
Limehouse London 11 4.40x
Manchester 11 0.90x
Odiham 11 53.66x
Poplar London 11 2.56x
Thornton In Bradford 11 14.63x
Tonbridge 11 3.92x
Toxteth Park 11 1.20x
Biddulph 10 23.04x
Brighton 10 1.29x
Fulham London 10 3.03x
Great Easton 10 163.67x
Haddenham 10 73.69x
Kings Norton 10 3.75x
Monckton Combe 10 85.32x
Portsmouth 10 9.30x
Sawbridgeworth 10 42.05x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 9 2.14x
Great Dunmow 9 38.40x
Heston 9 11.89x
Hornsey 9 3.12x
Little Bolton 9 2.59x
Paddington London 9 1.07x
Saffron Walden 9 18.94x
Thaxted 9 60.28x
Tottenham 9 2.48x
Weeting With Broomhill 9 346.15x
Wolverhampton 9 1.52x
Yaverland 9 756.30x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 8 3.80x
Shoreditch London 8 0.81x
West Calder 8 13.30x
West Dean 8 11.02x
Woolwich 8 2.79x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Hayden surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 130
Sarah 77
Elizabeth 74
Emma 44
Eliza 39
Emily 37
Ann 33
Alice 31
Jane 30
Ellen 27
Louisa 24
Annie 23
Harriet 21
Martha 19
Charlotte 18
Hannah 17
Susan 17
Rose 16
Edith 15
Fanny 15
Kate 14
Lucy 14
Catherine 13
Margaret 13
Julia 12
Ada 11
Caroline 11
Agnes 10
Clara 10
Florence 10
Jessie 10
Maria 10
Amelia 9
Anne 9
Esther 8
Grace 7
Matilda 7
Sophia 7
Eleanor 6
Harriett 6
Ruth 6
Amy 5
Rebecca 5
Bertha 4
Marian 4
Maud 4
Minnie 4
Miriam 4
Rachel 4
Anna 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Hayden surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Hayden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hayden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,339 people were recorded with the Hayden surname. That placed it at #1,899 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hayden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,551 in 2016. That gives Hayden a modern rank of #1,209.

What does the Hayden surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "hay valley" or "hay hill" in Old English.

What does the Hayden map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hayden bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.