Glidden
An English surname most likely from a place-name or a habitational form, though the exact origin is not firmly established.
The #7,061 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,150 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Glidden is generally treated as an English name, but the exact source is unclear. It may be a habitational surname from a lost or altered place-name, or a form built on an older English topographic element. The historical dictionaries supplied here mention the name but do not give a secure derivation, so the literal meaning remains uncertain.
History
In the United States, Glidden is best known through later bearers such as the industrialist Joseph Glidden, inventor of barbed wire. The name appears in older surname lists from the 19th century, which suggests established use in English-speaking communities by that time. Its modern distribution is relatively modest in the U.S., with the surname remaining uncommon but well recognized.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Joseph Glidden’s patented barbed-wire design helped transform fencing and ranching in the American West.
From the historical record
“Alden, Amsden, Ashenden, Boyden, Brimsden, Bronsden, Bryden, Burden, Cleaden, Dryden, Glidden, Harnden, Hayden, Holden, Marden, Samsden, Selden, Sneaden and Sneden, Snowden, TiLDEN, Walden, Ackland, Blasland, Borland (i.e., "boar-land"), Buckland, Catland, Cleland, Cleaveland and Cleveland, Copeland and Cop- land…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)