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Walden History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Walden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Walden

What does the name Walden mean?

The name Walden is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in or near any of the places named Walden in Essex, Hertfordshire, and Northern Yorkshire. Walden is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Other types of local surnames include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname Walden comes from the Old English words wealh and denu, which mean foreigner and valley. Thus, the surname would have been given to a person who was a stranger from a valley. Another source claims a slightly different origin of the place name: "The name Walden is said to be derived from the Saxon words Weald and Den, signifying a woody valley. At a latter period the place was called Waldenburgh. " 1

Early Origins of the Walden family

The surname Walden was first found in Essex at Saffron Walden. "The name Walden is said to be derived from the Saxon words Weald and Den, signifying a woody valley. At a latter period the place was called Waldenburgh; and in the reign of Stephen." 1

Some of the family were granted the lands of Walden Abbey and adopting their surname from those lands.

Another source notes that Walden means "valley of the Britons," from the Old English "walh" + "denu." 2

King's Walden in Hertfordshire dates back to Saxon times when it was originally known as Waleden in 888, but by the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, it was known as Waldene and was held by the king at that time. 2

And this is where we found the first record of the family, specifically Godeman de Waldena who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. Years later, Simone de Waldene was listed in 1304 in Yorkshire. Another early record of the name is Thomas Walden, recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Essex, 1377. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists Alice de Waledene in Cambridgeshire; and Richard de Waledene in Cambridgeshire. Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls lists Thomas Waldyng (1379); and Johannes Waldyng (1370) 4

Humphrey de Waleden (d. 1330?) was an English judge, a 'king's clerk,' who was "appointed to the custody of the lands of Simon de Montacute, first Baron Montacute, in the counties of Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Oxford, and Buckingham, and on 16 Jan. 1291 to the custody of the lands of the late Queen Eleanor. " 5

Today, Saffron Walden is a market town in Uttlesford district of Essex, home of Walden Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, founded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex between 1136 and 1143. Walden and Walden Head are hamlets in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire and Walden Stubbs is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire. 1

Early History of the Walden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walden research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1372, 1387, 1388, 1390, 1397, 1401, 1405, 1406 and 1573 are included under the topic Early Walden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walden Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Walden family name include Walden, Waldern, Waldon, Waldew and others.

Early Notables of the Walden family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir Alexander Walden (died 1401), knighted by 1372, Member of Parliament for Essex (1388-1390.)
Roger Walden (died 1406), was an English diving, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1397, an English treasurer, church figure, served Richard II as secretary, elected Bishop of London (1405.) He is "said to...
Ralph Walden (d. 1406), was an English treasurer, Archdeacon of Winchester in 1387 who later became Bishop of London in 1405

Walden Ranking

In the United States, the name Walden is the 1,080^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 6

Walden migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Walden surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Walden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Walden, who landed in Virginia in 1622 7
Humphrey Walden, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Warwick" 7
Samuel Walden, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas & John" 7
Edward Walden, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 7
William Walden, who landed in Virginia in 1652 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Walden, who settled in Maryland in 1722

Walden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gustavus Walden, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 7

Walden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Walden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ms. Margaret Walden U.E. (b. 1763), aged 20 who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 600 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 8

Walden Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alice Walden, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Walden migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Walden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Walden, (b. 1794), aged 25, English labourer who was convicted in Essex, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1875 9
Benjamin Walden, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. John Walden, British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Jeremiah Walden, Sr., English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, Norfolkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Joseph Walden, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, Norfolkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walden 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:

Walden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Walden, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843 aboard the ship Governor

Walden migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Walden Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Walden, his wife and children and servants arrived in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Walden (post 1700) +

Katherine Sleeper Walden (1862-1949), American environmental conservationist and community activist in Wonalancet, New Hampshire, one the first female journalists in Massachusetts, eponym of three mountains in the United States
David Corydon Walden (1942-2022), American computer scientist who contributed to the engineering development of the ARPANET, a precursor of the modern internet
Gregory Paul Walden (b. 1957), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon (1999-)
William Garrett "W.G. Snuffy" Walden (b. 1950), American multiple Emmy Award nominated musician and composer, recipient of 26 BMI Awards
Jordan Craig Walden (b. 1987), American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Atlanta Braves
Narada Michael Walden (b. 1952), American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter
Ebenezer Walden (1777-1857), American politician from Buffalo, New York
Henry Walden (1883-1968), American aeronautical engineer and builder of the first US monoplane in 1909
Cass R. Walden, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1944 14
C. S. Walden, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1912 14
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Walden family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. David Heron Walden (d. 1914), British Fireman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html