The
Anglo-Saxon name Gaden comes from when the family resided in the area of
Cheshire that was referred to as the
hill of Gaega, Gaega being an
Anglo-Saxon personal name. Gaden is a
topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.
Another source notes the name could have been a local name having derived from the Viking "geit" + "tun," and literally meant "farmstead where the goats are kept." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Early Origins of the Gaden family
The surname Gaden was first found in
Lincolnshire where three of the earliest records of the family were listed. The first was Robert de Geiton who was listed there in the
Pipe Rolls of 1193
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X), the second and third were Ralph de Gayton and Richard de Gayton, both listed there in the
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273.
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)Much further to the north in Scotland, Geoffrey de Gaytun was Burgess of Aberdeen in 1275 and Galfridus dictus de Gaytun, appears as a charter witness there in 1231, but this source notes that the name was "of English origin from one or other of several places of the name in England." [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) A migration to Scotland must be presumed.
We discovered a township in Cheshire, a parish in Norfolk; a parish in Northamptonshire; a parish in Staffordshire; and two parishes in Lincolnshire all named Gayton. The Norfolk, Staffordshire and Lincolnshire parishes are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Gaituna, Gaitone and Gettone respectively. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Early History of the Gaden family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaden research.
Another 216 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1200 and 1317 are included under the topic Early Gaden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gaden Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few
hundred years ago,
spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Gaden include Gayton, Gaydon, Gaytun, Gaton and others.
Early Notables of the Gaden family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Gaden Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gaden family to Ireland
Some of the Gaden family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gaden family to the New World and Oceana
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck
England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in
England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Richard Gayton settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants; Roger Gayton arrived in Maryland in 1774.