Hayden is an English surname and place name that means "hay valley" or "hay hill", from the Old English heg and denu. It rode the wave of Aiden, Jayden and Brayden in the 2000s, and actor Hayden Christensen, the young Anakin Skywalker, gave it extra visibility. Hayden ranked 129th in the United States in 2000, peaked at number 71 in 2007 and has settled between number 150 and 190 since, ranking 161st in 2025.