Hayden - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó hÉideáin
Meaning: possibly “clothed, armoured”
Traditional stronghold: Carlow, Wexford
Pronunciation: HAY-den
History of the Hayden name
Hayden in Ireland has two separate strands. In County Tipperary and County Kilkenny it is generally an anglicisation of the Gaelic O hEideain, 'descendant of Eideán', a personal name possibly connected to armour or dress. Separately, genuine Anglo-Norman and English settlers named Haydon or Haydene, a toponymic surname meaning 'hay valley', arrived in Ireland from the medieval period onward and in some areas the two names merged in spelling over time. This dual origin means Hayden bearers may descend from either an old Gaelic Tipperary family or from English settler stock, and the surname today is most associated with Tipperary, Kilkenny and Waterford.
Variants: Haydon · O'Hayden
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Murphy · Doyle · Kavanagh · Nolan · Whelan · Cullen · Roche · Keating