The

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

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.. This webpage is a partial transcription of .. As a nickname, it comes from the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...

''heiden'' meaning "Heathen". The Middle High German ''heiden'' in turn comes from the

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

''heidano'', a derivative of ''heida'', "heath". Many have taken the name ''Haydn'' as a given name, after the composer

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, whose name comes from the use of ''heiden'' as a nickname to mean "heathen".. As an Ashkenazi Jewish name it may be a shortened form of placenames with the compound ''Heide'', such as Heidenberg. It may also be another use of the nickname ''Heida'', meaning "heathen". As a Dutch name it is a shortened version of the surname Vanderheyden.

People with the surname

Lodewijk van Heiden Lodewijk Sigismund Vincent Gustaaf Reichsgraf van Heiden (german: Ludwig Sigismund Vinzent Gustav Reichsgraf van Heyden, russian: Ло́ггин Петро́вич Ге́йден, transliterated Russian name: ''Loggin Petrovich Geyden''; 6 Septemb ...

(1773), Russian admiral * Anton Heiden (1960), former water polo player from The Netherlands *

Bernhard Heiden Bernhard Heiden (b. Frankfurt-am-Main, August 24, 1910; d. Bloomington, IN, April 30, 2000) was a German and American composer and music teacher, who studied under and was heavily influenced by Paul Hindemith. Bernhard Heiden, the son of Ernst ...

(1910–2000), German-American composer and music teacher * Beth Heiden (born 1959), American athlete *

Erhard Heiden Erhard Heiden (23 February 1901 – 1933) was an early member of the Nazi Party and the third commander of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS), the paramilitary wing of the '' Sturmabteilung'' ("Storm Detachment; SA"). He was appointed head of the SS, a ...

(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 Ira Heiden (born September 22, 1966) is an American television and film actor. He played Will Stanton in the 1987 horror film '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors''. Ira's other film roles include the 1988 film '' Elvira: Mistress of ...

(born 1966), American television and film actor *

Siem Heiden Simon "Siem" Heiden (12 March 1905 – 3 August 1993) was a Dutch speed skater who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics. He was born in IJsselmonde and died in Rotterdam. In 1928 Winter Olympics, he finished eleventh in the 5000 metres event ...

(1905–1993), Dutch speed skater * Sona Heiden, Indian film actress and model *

Steve Heiden Steve Allen Heiden (born September 21, 1976) is an American football coach and former player who is the current tight ends coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Playing career College Heiden played college footb ...

(born 1976), American football player

References

{{surname, Heiden German-language surnames