Hadan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hadan first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Settlements called Heydon were found in Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Cambridge and Norfolk both had places called Heydon, and Haydon Bridge was in Northumberland. The surname Hadan belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hadan family

The surname Hadan was first found in Norfolk, where Sir Thomas de Heydon (circa 1185-1250) was on record as a judge, who was given the office of "Justice of Eyre," under a provision in the Magna Carta. His son, William de Heydon, remained in Norfolk, continuing the line that obtained estates at Heydon and Baconsthorpe. A younger son of Sir Thomas, Johannes (John) de Heydon, settled in Devon in the 13th century beginning a well known Devon branch of this family name.

Edmund of Hadenham (fl. 1307), the early English chronicler, "was a monk of Rochester, to whom is ascribed, on the authority of William Lambard, the Kentish topographer, a historical work preserved in the Cottonian Library (Nero, D. II.) in the British Museum. This manuscript, according to Wharton, contains a chronicle in one handwriting down to 1307, which is a copy of Matthew of Westminster, excepting that it contains a number of interspersed notices relating to the history of Rochester. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Haydon, or Heydon, Yorkshire; John de Haydon, Somerset; and Agnes de Heydone, Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Hadan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hadan research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1280, 1303, 1327, 1479, 1503, 1574, 1583, 1586, 1623, 1629, 1651, 1653, 1656, 1658, 1667, 1669, 1723 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Hadan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadan Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hadan has appeared include Hayden, Haydon, Hadenham and others.

Early Notables of the Hadan family

Distinguished members of the family include John Haidon (d. 1583) Sheriff of London; John Heydon (1629-c. 1667), English philosopher and Rosicrucian (a legendary and secretive Order); as well as Sir John Heydon, English, Governor of Bermuda in 1669. George Heyden (fl. 1723), was an English composer and organist at the church of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey. On 6 January 1746 he was elected a member of the Madrigal Society. 1 Sir Henry Heydon (d. 1503), was a country gentleman, belonged to an old family seated at Heydon in Norfolk. As early as the thirteenth century one of the family resided in Norfolk, and...
Another 142 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hadan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hadan family to Ireland

Some of the Hadan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadan migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hadan arrived in North America very early:

Hadan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

August Hadan, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 3

The Hadan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ferme en foy
Motto Translation: Strong in faith.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)