Louden
A surname of uncertain origin, probably a Scottish place-name form that later also appears as a spelling of Loudoun.
The #8,536 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,090 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Louden is most likely connected with the Scottish name Loudoun, which is traditionally treated as a place-name surname. That place-name has been explained in different ways, and older sources do not give a single secure derivation for the surname form itself. In practice, Louden is often regarded as a spelling variant that developed from Loudoun through local pronunciation and later simplification.
History
The name is especially associated with Scotland, where the related form Loudoun appears in noble and local records. Historical sources also show Louden used as a surname in Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries. In modern records, Louden and Loudoun can overlap, so some bearers may share the same ancestral line while others may reflect independent spelling drift.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same surname family appears in aristocratic history through the earls of Loudoun, while everyday family usage continued in parallel under simplified spellings like Louden.
From the historical record
“Vorfalle wir nur 3 Mann Todte und 22 Verwundete hatten. D. 17. April (p. 122). Louden, vom 30. Mart. Em Detaschement der Armee des L,ord Cornwallis unter den Befehlen des Obersten Tarleton, ist von dem General Morgan geschlagen worden. Ausser einer Menge von den Americanern zu Kriegsgefangenen gernachter, ist der…”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names