Hayden is a given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

 in the English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

. The name is variant of the given name Haydn, which is derived from the surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 Haydn in honour of composer Josef 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

Middle High German

Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...

 heiden, and from the Old High German

Old High German

The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...

 heidano.

The form Haydn is generally considered a masculine given name. The popularity of Hayden has been influenced by the popularity of similar sounding names such as Aidan, Braden

Braden (given name)

Braden is a name popular in the United States and Canada in recent years. It is derived from the Irish surname Ó Bradáin, meaning descendant of Bradán...

, Caden

Caden (given name)

Caden is a given name popular in the United States and Canada in recent years. It is used for both boys and girls, but is currently most popular for boys...

, and Jaden.

People

• Hayden Carruth
  Hayden Carruth
  Hayden Carruth was an American poet and literary critic. He taught at Syracuse University.-Life:Hayden Carruth grew up in Woodbury, Connecticut, and was educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the University of Chicago. He lived in Johnson, Vermont for many years...
  
   (1921–2008), American poet and literary critic
• Hayden Christensen
  Hayden Christensen
  Hayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
  
   (born 1981), Canadian actor known for his Star Wars roles
• Hayden Epstein
  Hayden Epstein
  Hayden Epstein is a former professional American football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League, NFL Europa, and the Canadian Football League....
  
   (born 1981), American NFL football player
• Hayden Foxe
  Hayden Foxe
  Hayden Vernon Foxe is a former Australian football player. He last played with A-League club Sydney FC.-Europe:...
  
   (born 1977), Australian football (soccer) player
• Hayden Fry
  Hayden Fry
  John Hayden Fry is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University , North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas , and the University of Iowa , compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10...
  
   (born 1929), former NCAA Division I-A college football coach
• Hayden Mullins
  Hayden Mullins
  Hayden Ian Mullins is an English footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He plays as a sweeper and at right-back in addition to his preferred midfield-holding position.-Crystal Palace:...
  
   (born 1979), English football player
• Hayden Paddon
  Hayden Paddon
  -Career:Paddon was introduced into motorsport at an early age, his father Chris being a rally driver. Haydon began his career competing in karting. He competed in his first rally in 2002, at the age of 15. In 2006 he began competing in the New Zealand Rally Championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer...
  
   (born 20 April 1987), New Zealand rally driver
• Hayden Panettiere
  Hayden Panettiere
  Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
  
   (born 1989), American actress
• Hayden Turner
  Hayden Turner
  Hayden Turner born 16 January 1966 in Sydney, Australia, is a television and cable TV presenter.-Life:Hayden Turner is a Wildlife Television Presenter, now a global household name through his work for the National Geographic Channel and TV...
  
   (born 1966), Australian television presenter and zookeeper
• Hayden White
  Hayden White
  Hayden White is a historian in the tradition of literary criticism, perhaps most famous for his work Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe...
  
   (born 1928), historian
• Hayden Desser, musician