Uden

This unusual name has two possible origins, the first and most likely being as the patronymic (meaning "son of") form of the popular medieval personal name "Hudde". This personal name has itself a number of origins, it can be from "Hugh", meaning "mind, heart, spirit" from the Norman "hug" and introduced by the Normans after 1066, or earlier from "Huda", an Old English pre 7th Century personal name. It can also be found as a pet form of "Richard", meaning "powerful-brave", Richard being the single most popular name of the period following the crusading of King Richard 1st, known as 'The lion-heart'. The surname "Hudden" is first recorded in 1332, as in "William Hudden", of Warwickshire, whilst "Uden" or "Udden" are later variant dialectal forms. There is a possibility that some nameholders derive from the town of Uden in Brabant, The Netherlands, Dutch engineers being much employed in England (and Ireland) from the 15th century. Examples of the recordings include Ezechell Uden who was christened in London on November 1st 1609, and Elizabeth Udden, christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on January 1st 1621. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jone Udden, married Thomas Emps, which was dated 25th May 1600, St. Margarets, Westminster, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.