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The first name 
Hayden

Hayden is a unisex first name, but it's given significantly more often to boys than girls.

Hayden known and loved in the US!

The name Hayden is not currently one of the fashionable names trending in the top 10 rankings, but it is still popular and common. Recently, it has consistently ranked among the top 1,000 most popular first names in the United States. It is currently #171 in the SmartGenius ranking.

You won't believe all there is 
to discover about the name
 
Hayden

What does the name 
Hayden mean?

Hayden is a name of English origin, and is derived from a surname which was originally based on a place name. It comes from the Old English words ‘heden’ meaning ‘heathen’ or ‘heathen settlement’ and ‘denu’ meaning ‘valley’. This place name was used to denote a valley where heathens or non-Christians lived. In modern usage, the name has lost its negative connotation .

What are heathens? Heathens are people who do not follow a monotheistic religion, such as Christianity, Judaism or Islam. Historically, the term heathen was often used to describe people who practiced polytheistic or animistic religions, such as the ancient Norse or the indigenous people of North America.

Many film and television stars are called Hayden

A Star Wars Icon

Hayden Christensen (*1981)
Hayden Christensen is a renowned Canadian actor, widely recognized for his role as Anakin Skywalker in the 'Star Wars' prequel trilogy in the early 2000s. He continues in the genre as a main character in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). In the past, he captivated audiences in various films such as 'Shattered Glass' (2003), 'Awake' (2007), 'Jumper' (2008), 'Takers' (2010), and 'Little Italy' (2018). His work was honored with several nominations and award winnings.

A Heroine of the Series

Hayden Panettiere (*1989)
Hayden Lesley Panettiere is an American actress, singer, and model. She gained widespread recognition and popularity as a child star, starring as Claire Bennet in the NBC TV series 'Heroes.' She is also known for her role as Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT musical drama series 'Nashville' (2012

An Influential Football Coach

Hayden Fry (1929 - 2019)
Hayden Fry was an American football coach. He served as head coach for three universities for several decades, including the University of North Texas and the University of Iowa. Fry is widely credited with turning around the Iowa football program and is remembered as one of the most influential coaches in the history of college football which is why he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2003.

A 60s TV Star

Hayden Rorke (1910 - 1987)
Hayden Rorke was an American actor. He gained wide recognition for his role as Dr. Bellows in the 1960s fantasy television series 'I Dream of Jeannie' (1965 – 1970). Throughout his career, Rorke appeared in numerous TV shows and films in the 50s, 60s and 70s such as 'Bonanza', 'Barnaby Jones' or 'Wonder Woman.'

Go on a journey to places 
with your name

When you hear the name Hayden, you might first think of people. But did you know that there are also places with the name Hayden? Are you also called Hayden? Maybe one day you will visit the places that are named just like you...

In the Columbia River...

you can find Hayden Island. It is located between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Its west side is as yet undeveloped.

View wildlife in...

sub-alpine Hayden Valley. It straddles the Yellowstone River between Yellowstone Falls and Yellowstone Lake in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

A peak...

on the western edge of Uinta Mountain Range in Utah is called Hayden Peak. It is named fort he American geologist Ferdinand Hayden.

Hayden Butte...

is a local name for a butte of volcanic origin in Tempe. It is located partially on Arizona State University's campus. Its official name is Tempe Butte.

In the north of Idaho...

there is a city named Hayden. It is a suburb of nearby Coeur d'Alene and has a population of 15,570.

At least four creeks...

in the U.S. bear the name Hayden. You can find them in Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri and New York.

Hayden -
from zero to hero

#74 - this is the highest rank Hayden has ever achieved. Not many names manage to reach such a high popularity in even one of the 140+ years of recording. The last time Hayden reached this top spot was in 2008 when 8,608 newborns were given this name. But as our statistics show, Hayden hasn't always been a popular name: in some years of record, most recently in the year 1894, not a single newborn baby or less than 5 were named Hayden (a name is only included in the official statistics if it has been given at least 5 times in a year). Nevertheless, the name Hayden has accompanied people in this country for a long time. It turns out that this name fits very well into our time today. From zero to hero - even though it took a while for Hayden to really catch on, it has become a very popular name.

In years where the graph has no value, the name Hayden was given less than five times or even none at all in the entire USA.

At the peak in the 21st century

In 2022, 3,220 newborns were given the name Hayden, making it rank #194. In the current century, the name is really taking off. So the chances of meeting a young Hayden are higher than ever.

Hayden has 6 letters 
and begins with an H

Well, you might say, you probably figured that out yourself! But what you might not know is: The letter H is not really common as a first letter for given names: only 2.3% of all common first names in the US begin with H. By the way, the most common first letters of given names are A, J and K, while U, X and Q are the least common initials of first names.

With six letters, the name Hayden is of average length. In fact, 28% of all common first names in the US consist of exactly six letters. 24% of all first names are shorter, while 48% have seven letters or more. On average, first names in the US (not counting hyphenated names) are 6.5 letters long. There are no significant differences between boys' and girls' names.

That means that with 2.3% of all first names beginning with an H, this initial letter is less common than the other letters on average.

Other names with 
H, a, y, d, e and n

If you take all the letters in the name Hayden – H, a, y, d, e and n – and put them together again, you can form other names, such as Haedyn or others.

With hands, flags and sounds 
How to say Hayden

If your name is Hayden and someone asks after your name, you can of course just tell them what it is. But sometimes that isn't so easy - what if it's too loud, and you don't understand them well? Or what if the other person is so far away that you can see them but not hear them? In these situations, you can communicate your name in so many other ways: you call spell it, sign it, or even use a flag to wave it...

This is how you spell the name Hayden

So that everyone really understands you when you have to spell the name Hayden, you can simply say:

Hat

Apple

Yoyo

Dinosaur

Elephant

Nut

This is how the name Hayden is spelled in the NATO phonetic alphabet

The NATO alphabet often helps people spell words on the phone or radio when there are communication problems.

How do you write Hayden in Braille?

Braille is made up of dots, which the blind and visually impaired can feel to read words.

Hayden

Hayden

You want to tell a deaf person that your name is Hayden

Just use American Sign Language!

The name Hayden is particularly colorful in the Semaphore flag signaling system!

These flags are used for maritime communication - each flag represents a letter.

H
A
Y
D
E
N

Have you ever waved the name Hayden

In the navy, sailors of two ships might wave flags to each other to send messages. A sailor holds two flags in specific positions to represent different letters.

H
A
Y
D
E
N

Beeping like crazy...

In Morse code, letters and other characters are represented only by a series of short and long tones. For example, a short tone followed by a long tone stands for the letter A. Hayden sounds like this: