Heiden (surname)
The surname Heiden has a number of different spellings including Haydn, Heide, Heid, Heidling, Heideling, Heidt, Heyde. The toponym exists as Heiden in a number of places in Germany and Switzerland.[1][2]
As a nickname, it comes from the Middle High German heiden meaning "Heathen". The Middle High German heiden in turn comes from the Old High German heidano, a derivative of heida, "heath".[1][2] Many have taken the name Haydn as a given name, after the composer Joseph Haydn, whose name comes from the use of heiden as a nickname to mean "heathen".[3]
As an Ashkenazi Jewish name it may be a shortened form of placenames with the compound Heide, such as Heidenberg.[1] It may also be another use of the nickname Heida, meaning "heathen".[2]
As a Dutch name it is a shortened version of the surname Vanderheyden.[1]
People with the surname
- Anton Heiden (1960), former water polo player from The Netherlands
- Bernhard Heiden (1910–2000), German-American composer and music teacher
- Beth Heiden (born 1959), American athlete
- Erhard Heiden (1901–1933), an early member of the Nazi Party and the third commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS)
- Eric Heiden (born 1958), American speed skater
- Frederick Heiden (1821–1900) governor general of Finland
- Konrad Heiden (1901–1966), journalist and historian of Nazi Germany
- Ira Heiden (born 1966), American television and film actor
- Siem Heiden (1905–1993), Dutch speed skater
- Sona Heiden, Indian film actress and model
- Steve Heiden (born 1976), American football player
References
- Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Hayden, Answers.com, retrieved 2 August 2014. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Surname Database: Heiden, Surnamedb.com, retrieved 2 August 2014.
- Oxford Reference: Haydn, Oxfordreference.com, retrieved 2 August 2014.