Show ContentsHeyden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Heyden

What does the name Heyden mean?

The ancient roots of the Heyden family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Heyden comes from when the family lived in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Settlements called Heydon were found in Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Cambridge and Norfolk both had places called Heydon, and Haydon Bridge was in Northumberland. The surname Heyden belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Heyden family

The surname Heyden was first found in Norfolk, where Sir Thomas de Heydon (circa 1185-1250) was on record as a judge, who was given the office of "Justice of Eyre," under a provision in the Magna Carta. His son, William de Heydon, remained in Norfolk, continuing the line that obtained estates at Heydon and Baconsthorpe. A younger son of Sir Thomas, Johannes (John) de Heydon, settled in Devon in the 13th century beginning a well known Devon branch of this family name.

Edmund of Hadenham (fl. 1307), the early English chronicler, "was a monk of Rochester, to whom is ascribed, on the authority of William Lambard, the Kentish topographer, a historical work preserved in the Cottonian Library (Nero, D. II.) in the British Museum. This manuscript, according to Wharton, contains a chronicle in one handwriting down to 1307, which is a copy of Matthew of Westminster, excepting that it contains a number of interspersed notices relating to the history of Rochester. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Haydon, or Heydon, Yorkshire; John de Haydon, Somerset; and Agnes de Heydone, Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Heyden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heyden research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1280, 1303, 1327, 1479, 1503, 1574, 1583, 1586, 1623, 1629, 1651, 1653, 1656, 1658, 1667, 1669, 1723 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Heyden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heyden Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Heyden has appeared include Hayden, Haydon, Hadenham and others.

Early Notables of the Heyden family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • George Heyden (fl. 1723), was an English composer and organist at the church of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey. On 6 January 1746 he was elected a member of the Madrigal Society. 1

Migration of the Heyden family to Ireland

Some of the Heyden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Heyden migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Heyden arrived in North America very early:

Heyden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edw. Heyden, who settled in Virginia in 1622
  • John Heyden, who arrived in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1634 3
  • Jane Heyden, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 3
  • Thomas Heyden, who landed in Maryland in 1665 3
  • Ruth Heyden, who arrived in Maryland in 1681
Heyden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jose Heyden, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1847 3
  • Charles Heyden, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Indiana in 1850
  • Johann Fr Heyden, aged 36, who landed in New York, NY in 1857 3
  • Seede Heyden, aged 33, who arrived in New York, NY in 1857 3
Heyden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. John Heyden, (b. 1866), aged 38, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th November 1904 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 4
  • Mr. William Heyden, (b. 1901), aged 4, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Leadville, Colorado, USA 4
  • Miss Clara Heyden, (b. 1896), aged 9, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Leadville, Colorado, USA 4
  • Miss Edith Heyden, (b. 1904), aged 8 months, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Leadville, Colorado, USA 4
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Heyden, (b. 1867), aged 38, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Leadville, Colorado, USA 4

Heyden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Heyden Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Carl Heyden, who settled in Quebec, Canada in 1858

Heyden migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Heyden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Heyden, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862
  • Mr. John Heyden, (b. 1845), aged 30, British pastry cook from Jersey travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 5
  • Mrs. Ann Heyden, (b. 1851), aged 24, British settler from Jersey travelling from London aboard the ship "Waimate" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1875 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Heyden (post 1700) +

  • Doris Heyden (1905-2005), American scholar of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures
  • William Heyden, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Amapala, 1897-1905 6
  • Walter C. Heyden, American politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1864 6
  • Philipp Heyden (b. 1988), German basketball player
  • Lucas Friedrich Julius Dominikus von Heyden (1838-1915), German entomologist
  • Karl von der Heyden, German Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of PepsiCo, Inc
  • Carl von Heyden (1793-1866), German senator and entomologist


The Heyden Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ferme en foy
Motto Translation: Strong in faith.


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook