Weeden
A English surname usually from one of the places called Weedon, meaning “weedy hill” or “hill where weeds grow.”
The #8,646 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,185 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Weeden is generally explained as a habitational surname from a place called Weedon, especially Weedon in Northamptonshire or Weedon in Buckinghamshire. The place-name is usually taken from Old English elements meaning “weed” and “hill” or “down,” so the sense is roughly “weedy hill” or “hill with weeds.” The spelling varied over time, and Weeden is one of several forms that developed from Weedon.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries record Weeden as a local surname from Weedon, with bearers found in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire records. The name later spread beyond England and appears in American records as well. Barber also treats it as a variant associated with Weedon, while Bardsley notes historical spellings such as Weedon or Weeden.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century reference glossed the place-name behind Weeden as literally a “weedy hill,” which is a rare case where an old surname etymology is almost self-explanatory.
From the historical record
“2 the Weedy Hill [O.E. hyll] WEEDEN \ (Eng.) Bel. to Weedon (Bucks, WEEDON J Northants : 13th cent. Wedont A.-Sax. W^odiin) = the Weedy Hill [O.E. w^od, weed(s + dun, hill] \ (EngJ Bel. to Wedgwood I I (Stafifs) [Earlier forms than”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)