Heddins Family History

THE EVOLUTION OF SURNAMES
Several hundred years ago, people only had one name, and because of the smaller population there was no great need for any other name. As the population grew, however, it became obvious that one name was not sufficient, so people began adding a description to their name, such as the son of so-and-so. After a while, still that was not sufficient, so surnames gradually came into being.

Almost all European surnames have been derived from one or more of four different means, from the name of a place of residence, either past or present, such as Hedon, a place in England (later evolved into the surname Heddins), from the name of the man's occupation, such as Carpenter, from the father's name, such as Dodson (son of Dod), from a descriptive nickname, such as Petty (one short in stature).

France and England were probably the first to begin the use of surnames, while Germany and some of the other nations began later. By the end of the 14th century in England surnames were generally hereditary, especially among the nobles and landowners. Among the lower classes since the son generally learned and followed the trade of his father, the same occupational name was applied, such as Carpenter or Barber, initially because it applied to the son as well as the father, but it soon became merely an inherited name.
 

THE EVOLUTION OF OUR HEDDINS NAME
The Heddins/Heddin surname probably originated from the name of a place in Nottinghamshire County, England, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, called Hedon or Headon (Heather Hill). The families who lived there began assuming that name as their surname, so de Hedon (of Hedon) was tacked onto their first names. It is generally believed that our distant Heddins ancestors adopted their surname from this place in England.

The name Hedden is a name that has been traced to Germany, and Heddens to Switzerland. Our Heddins or Heddin name apparently originated in England, but the people with the similar spellings may be distant cousins who settled in other European countries.

In the year 1273, Gerard de Hedon and Symon de Hedon were both living in Nottinghamshire County, England. Nicholas de Hedon was living in Cambridge, England in the same year, and Willelmus de Hedon was living in York County, England in the year 1379. These may have been our early Heddins ancestors.

According to family tradition that has been passed down through the years, our distant Heddins ancestor and his brother came to New York from England. Although more research needs to be done to positively confirm it, it is believed that John & Jane (Nichols) Hadden were our distant ancestors who married in London, England in 1622 and soon immigrated to New York. Whether John Hadden came with a brother or not has not yet been determined. If the tentative research is correct, John's great-great-great-great-grandson, Josiah "Isaiah" Heddins was the first in our line to begin using the altered spelling of Heddins after his service in the War of 1812. Isaiah is believed to have been a son of Private John Hadden/Haddon who fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.  (written by Roland Heddins)