Show ContentsIden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Iden was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old Norman female personal name Idunn, which is thought to be composed of the elements idja, which means to work or perform, and unna, which means to love. While most surnames adapted from personal names descend through patronymic lineage, the name Iddon is a relatively rare case of a metronymic name. While patronymic lineage was traditional in Norman society, in cases such as when a man had a second family and wished to distinguish between the two groups the children may have adopted the name of the mother.

Early Origins of the Iden family

The surname Iden was first found in Sussex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Iden. The village of Iden appeared in the Domesday Book, 1 a census taken by Duke William of Normandy in 1086 after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. At this time the village was held by Geoffrey and Leofwin from the Count of Eu, the tenant-in-chief. Conjecturally this family name is descended from one of those Norman nobles. The village, originally spelt 'Idene' is the name of a Norse goddess. From about the 16th century the name was more popularly spelt Iddon.

In Hemyock, Devon, we found this interesting passage: "The Hidons built a castle here, of which there are yet important remains, including the main gateway and its towers, and part of the general cincture. It is an edifice of great strength, and of some peculiar characteristics Early Edwardian in general character ; but of its history absolutely nothing seems to be known, save that it was garrisoned by the Roundheads, and used by them as a prison." 2

Early History of the Iden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Iden research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Iden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Iden Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Iddon, Idon, Iden, Idens, Iddin, Iddins, Hidden and many more.

Early Notables of the Iden family

More information is included under the topic Early Iden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Iden migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Iden or a variant listed above were:

Iden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Iden, who settled in Virginia in 1643
  • Hen Iden, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 3
Iden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob and Mary Iden, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773
  • H F Iden, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1794 3
  • I. Iden, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794

Contemporary Notables of the name Iden (post 1700) +

  • Ben Iden Payne (1881-1976), English actor and director

Bismarck
  • Gerhard Iden (1918-1941), German Matrosenobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 4


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


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