Auden is an English surname that goes back to the medieval given name Aldwin, from the Old English eald and wine, "old friend". The poet W. H. Auden, who became an American citizen in 1946, gave the name its literary ring, and parents choose it as a bookish alternative to Aiden and Holden. Auden stood at number 1719 in 2015, peaked at number 1368 in 2020 and ranks 1794 among boys' names in 2025.