Alden is an English surname and given name from the Old English Ealdwine, which means "old friend" or "wise friend". John Alden sailed on the Mayflower in 1620, and Longfellow's poem about his courtship of Priscilla Mullins made the name part of American lore. Alden has been in the top 1000 every year since 2000, when it ranked number 857, peaked at number 576 in 2024 and ranks number 598 in 2025.