Show ContentsDriedant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Pictish-Scottish family that first used the name Driedant lived in the lands of Dryden, near Roslin in Forfar where the name is pronounced Drayden.

Early Origins of the Driedant family

The surname Driedant was first found in Forfarshire part of the Tayside region of North Eastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus. The first record of the name was "Philip de Dryden who was listed on a writ issued to the sheriff of Forfar in 1296. In 1329 payment was made to Henricus de Driden for behalf of the soul of King Robert and in compensation for loss of multure. Thomas de Driden is mentioned in 1455 as "supprior claustralis monasterii de Abirbrothoc', and in 1481 Laurence Dridane held a tenement in Stirling. The name is local. There is Dryden near Roslin, locally pronounced Drayden." 1

Some of the family ventures down into England in early times. "Blakesley Hall [in Blakesley, Northamptonshire] was anciently a religious house, occupied by a fraternity of the order of St. John of Jerusalem; and among a number of productive farms, is one of 200 acres, once the property of the Dryden family." 2

Early History of the Driedant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Driedant research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1306, 1329, 1455, 1481, 1521, 1631, 1668 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Driedant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Driedant Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Driedant has been spelled Dryden, Driden, Dridane, Driedan, Drydan, Drydon, Drydun, Dridan, Driden, Dridun and many more.

Early Notables of the Driedant family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Dryden (1631-1700), an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright from Thrapston, Northamptonshire, who was made Poet Laureate in 1668; Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He made many radical shifts in his religion and politics, he...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Driedant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Driedant family

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Driedant: Adam Dryden, who began his life in the south in Georgia in the mid 1700's; Mary Driden landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806; William Dryden settled in New York State in 1855. Later members of the family landed in the northeast states..



  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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