NameCensus.

UK surname

Hyden

English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "high valley" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Hyden surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 370, ranked #12,591, up from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Cannock and Lichfield St Michael. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cannock Chase.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hyden is 370 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 150.0%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

370

2016, ranked #12,591

Peak year

2016

370 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hyden had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 370 in 2016, ranked #12,591.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 240 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Hyden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hyden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hyden 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 116 #15,545
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 199 #14,977
1901 historical 198 #15,213
1911 historical 240 #13,281
1997 modern 320 #12,966
1998 modern 340 #12,784
1999 modern 333 #13,049
2000 modern 328 #13,129
2001 modern 328 #12,944
2002 modern 329 #13,167
2003 modern 333 #12,875
2004 modern 338 #12,781
2005 modern 321 #13,195
2006 modern 323 #13,205
2007 modern 331 #13,117
2008 modern 339 #13,022
2009 modern 345 #13,107
2010 modern 344 #13,393
2011 modern 348 #13,134
2012 modern 344 #13,121
2013 modern 355 #13,045
2014 modern 369 #12,745
2015 modern 361 #12,857
2016 modern 370 #12,591

Geography

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Where Hydens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Cannock, Lichfield St Michael, Longdon and Walcott, Charlcome. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cannock Chase. 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 3
2 Cannock Staffordshire
3 Lichfield St Michael Staffordshire
4 Longdon Staffordshire
5 Walcott, Charlcome Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cannock Chase 003 Cannock Chase
2 Cannock Chase 002 Cannock Chase
3 Cannock Chase 008 Cannock Chase
4 Cannock Chase 007 Cannock Chase
5 Cannock Chase 012 Cannock Chase

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hyden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hyden

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hyden, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Hyden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Hyden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hyden is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hyden is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hyden falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hyden is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hyden

The surname Hyden has its origins in England, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Hydon in Hampshire, or the hamlet of Hiden in Berkshire. These place names are thought to have originated from the Old English words "hyd" or "hid," meaning a hide of land, and "dun," meaning a hill or low ridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a Robert de Hydene is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were medieval financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, where a William de Hydun is listed. The Assize Rolls were legal records documenting the proceedings of traveling judges in medieval England.

By the 14th century, the surname had evolved into various spellings, including Hydun, Hidun, and Hiden. In the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, a John Hydun is recorded as a taxpayer.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Hyden (c. 1480-1546), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII. He held the position of Recorder of Gloucester and played a significant role in the dissolution of the monasteries.

Another historical figure with the surname Hyden was Richard Hyden (c. 1560-1640), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Dean of Lichfield Cathedral and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

In the 17th century, the surname is found in various parish records across England, including those of St. Giles in Cripplegate, London, where a William Hyden was baptized in 1612.

John Hyden (c. 1630-1700) was an English merchant and landowner who owned property in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. He was known for his involvement in local affairs and served as a Justice of the Peace.

The surname Hyden also has a connection to the village of Hydenhyde in Berkshire, which was once owned by the Hyden family. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name "Hiddene."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hyden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hyden 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. Staffordshire leads with 53 Hydens recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.80x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 53 10.80x
Middlesex 27 1.86x
Somerset 21 8.98x
Warwickshire 13 3.55x
Kent 8 1.61x
Yorkshire 8 0.56x
Leicestershire 4 2.48x
Monmouthshire 4 3.81x
Durham 2 0.46x
Gloucestershire 2 0.70x
Channel Islands 1 2.32x
Cheshire 1 0.31x
Devon 1 0.33x
Hampshire 1 0.34x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Sussex 1 0.41x
Worcestershire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cannock in Staffordshire leads with 16 Hydens recorded in 1881 and an index of 186.92x.

Place Total Index
Cannock 16 186.92x
Longdon 13 1911.76x
Bethnal Green London 12 19.01x
Warwick St Nicholas 10 371.75x
Rugeley 9 255.68x
Walcot 8 64.21x
Aylesford 5 364.96x
Wolverhampton 5 13.26x
Bath St Peter St Paul 4 388.35x
Belgrave 4 109.89x
Brightside Bierlow 4 14.16x
St Woollos 4 34.10x
Walsall Foreign 4 15.79x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 3 22.35x
Chelsea London 3 6.85x
Leamington 3 123.46x
St George In East London 3 21.95x
St George Martyr London 3 102.04x
Westminster St John 3 16.95x
Aldington 2 588.24x
Bath St James 2 81.97x
Bathwick 2 77.22x
Bitton 2 80.65x
Burntwood Edial 2 63.90x
Ebchester 2 298.51x
Farewell Chorley 2 1818.18x
Kelston 2 2222.22x
Aldershot 1 10.02x
Alsager 1 125.00x
Betley 1 243.90x
Bromsgrove 1 15.65x
Chudleigh 1 104.17x
Corfe 1 526.32x
Kensington London 1 1.24x
Monckton Combe 1 133.33x
Portishead 1 57.47x
Preston 1 2.17x
Rolvenden 1 156.25x
Rottingdean 1 119.05x
Scarborough 1 7.64x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.90x
St Peter Port 1 12.55x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 1.92x
Westminster St Margaret 1 14.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 5
Martha 5
Sarah 5
Charlotte 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Florence 3
Hannah 3
Maria 3
Agnes 2
Clara 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Rebecca 2
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Diania 1
Emma 1
Isabella 1
Joanna 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lavinia 1
Lillian 1
Margaret 1
Margeret 1
Marthar 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Hyden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hyden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Hyden surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hyden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 370 in 2016. That gives Hyden a modern rank of #12,591.

What does the Hyden surname mean?

English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "high valley" in Old English.

What does the Hyden map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hyden 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.