Beeden - Name

Recorded as Beadon, Beaden, Beeden, Biden and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is locational and armigerous, that is to say that the originally name holders were granted the right to have a coat of arms. The name is locational and probably originates from the village of Beeden near Newbury in Berkshire. The meaning here is said to be either the shallow valley from the Old English word "byden", or from the pre 7th century personal name "Bucge" with the suffix dun, to give a meaning of the hill (belonging to a person called) Bucge. This was an ancient female name, found in many southern parts of Britain. There are a number of modern surnames which are claimed to have a similar origin and these may include Bowen, Baydon, and Boyden. Early examples of post medieval recordings include such examples as Jane Beaden, who was christened at Woodbury, near Exeter, in Devonshire, on October 30th 1567, William Beadon of Combe Florey, Somerset, who was married on October 10th 1588, in the year of the Spainish Armada, and Edith Beeden who married Richard Hodges at St. Peters Church, Taunton, in the county of Somerset, on January 23rd 1760. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.