Heiden (surname)

The surname Heiden has a number of different spellings including Haydn, Heide, Heid, Heidling, Heideling, Heidt, Heyde. The toponym exists as Heiden in a number of places in Germany and Switzerland.

As a nickname, it comes from the Middle High German heiden meaning "Heathen". The Middle High German heiden in turn comes from the Old High German heidano, a derivative of heida, "heath". Many have taken the name Haydn as a given name, after the composer Joseph Haydn, whose name comes from the use of heiden as a nickname to mean "heathen".

As an Ashkenazi Jewish name it may be a shortened form of placenames with the compound Heide, such as Heidenberg. It may also be another use of the nickname Heida, meaning "heathen".

As a Dutch name it is a shortened version of the surname Vanderheyden.

People with the surname

 * Lodewijk van Heiden (1773), Russian admiral
 * Fyodor Logginovich van Heiden (1821), his son, military leader
 * Anton Heiden (1960), former water polo player from The Netherlands
 * Bernhard Heiden (1910–2000), German-American composer and music teacher
 * Beth Heiden (born 1959), American athlete
 * Erhard Heiden (1901–1933), an early member of the Nazi Party and the third commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS)
 * Eric Heiden (born 1958), American speed skater
 * Frederick Heiden (1821–1900) governor general of Finland
 * Konrad Heiden (1901–1966), journalist and historian of Nazi Germany
 * Ira Heiden (born 1966), American television and film actor
 * Siem Heiden (1905–1993), Dutch speed skater
 * Sona Heiden, Indian film actress and model
 * Steve Heiden (born 1976), American football player