Steeden

This is a rare locational name which is of Yorkshire origin. The surname derives from residence at a "Stede" meaning a Building in a "denu" - wood or from some now apparently "lost" place called "Steden". The name developments are Steaden, Steeden and Stedin, all are rare although "Stede" as a place name is one of the earliest on record, first appearing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in 741 A.D., for Kent. An estimated seven thousand place names from medieval times are now "lost", their link with today being provided by the modern surname. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabetha Steaden (infant). which was dated 1620, Baptised at St. Peter, Huddersfield. during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. 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.