The surname Hayden has several origins. In some cases it is a form of O'Hayden, which is derived from the Irish Ó hÉideáin and Ó hÉidín. These latter surnames mean "descendant of Éideán" and "descendant of Éidín", respectively; the Irish personal names Éideán and Éidín are likely derived from the Irish éideadh, which means "clothes", "armour".
In some cases the surname Hayden is derived from placenames in England that have various origins. For example, the placename Haydon occurs in Northumberland, and is derived from the Old English word elements heg ("hay") and denu ("valley). Other places in Dorset, Hertfordshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire are derived from either the Old English word elements hēg ("hay") and dūn ("hill"), or from hege ("hedge") and dūn, or from (ge)hæg ("enclosure") and dūn.
In some cases the surname Hayden is a form of the Jewish surname Heiden.
Ada Hayden (1884–1950), American botanist
Alyssa Hayden (born 1970), Australian politician
Anthony Hayden (born 1961), judge of the High Court of England and Wales since 2013
Basil Hayden (1899–2003), American college basketball player and coach
Benjamin Hayden (1822–1908), American lawyer and politician
Bill Hayden (born 1933), former Governor-General of Australia
Bob Hayden, U.S. hockey referee
Brent Hayden (born 1983), Canadian swimmer
Carl Hayden (1877–1972), American politician
Charles Hayden (1870–1937), American financier and philanthropist
Charles T. Hayden (1825–1900), American businessman and probate judge
Dan Hayden (baseball) (born 1984), American college baseball coach
Diana Hayden (born 1973), former Miss World and model from India
Emily Spencer Hayden (1869–1949), 19th and 20th century American photographer
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829–1887), 19th century American geologist
Garey Hayden, American bridge player
Gillette Hayden, pioneering dentist and periodontist in the early 20th century
Harry Hayden (1882–1955), Canadian actor
Henry Hubert Hayden, (1869-1923), Anglo-Irish gelogist who worked in India and a mountaineer
Horace H. Hayden (1769–1844), first licensed American dentist and dentistry school founder
James Hayden (1953–1983), American actor
Jeffrey Hayden (born 1926), television director and producer
Joel Hayden (1798–1873), 19th-century Massachusetts politician
Josephine Hayden, Republican Sinn Féin politician
Kelvin Hayden (born 1983), American football player
Leo Hayden (born 1948), former National Football League running back
Lewis Hayden (1811–1889), African American leader, ex-slave, abolitionist and businessman
Linda Hayden (born 1953), English film and television actress
Matthew Hayden (born 1971), Australian cricketer
Melissa Hayden (actress) (born 1969), American actress
Melissa Hayden (dancer) (1923–2006), Canadian ballerina
Michael V. Hayden, U.S. Air Force General and Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Mike Hayden (born 1944), American politician
Nicky Hayden (born 1981), American motorcycle racer (brother of Roger Lee and Tomy Hayden)
Pamela Hayden (born 1953), American voice actress
Patrick Nielsen Hayden (born 1959), American science fiction editor
Robert Hayden (1913–1980), African-American educator and poet
Roger Hayden (born 1980), Australian rules footballer
Roger Lee Hayden (born 1983), American motorcycle racer (brother of Nicky and Tommy Hayden)
Salter Adrian Hayden, Canadian lawyer and senator
Samuel Augustus Hayden (1839–1918), American Baptist pastor and newspaper publisher
Samuel Hayden, Canadian politician
Scott Hayden (1882–1915), African-American composer of ragtime music
Sterling Hayden (1916–1986), American film actor
Steve Hayden (copywriter), American advertising executive and copywriter
Teresa Nielsen Hayden (born 1956), American essayist and editor
Tom Hayden (1939-2016), American civil rights activist and politician
Tom Hayden (Texas politician) (born 1967), mayor of Flower Mound, Texas
Tommy Hayden (born 1978), American motorcycle racer (brother of Nicky and Roger Lee Hayden)
Torey Hayden (born 1951), American child psychologist
Vanessa Hayden (basketball) (born 1982), American professional women's basketball player
Hayden (surname) Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA