Walden: Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity

At a Glance

Meaning
Valley of the Welsh/foreigners (from walh 'Welshman, foreigner' + denu 'valley')
Origin
Old English (place name/surname)
Gender
Boy
Pronunciation
WAWL-dən

Walden is an Old English (place name/surname) boy's name meaning “valley of the Welsh/foreigners (from walh 'Welshman, foreigner' + denu 'valley')”. It appears in 3 of our baby name lists.

Meaning & Origin of Walden

Meaning: Valley of the Welsh/foreigners (from walh 'Welshman, foreigner' + denu 'valley').

Origin: Old English (place name/surname).

A common claim: Means 'wooded valley' Actually: 'Wooded valley' is the popular gloss, but Wiktionary traces Walden instead to Old English walh ('Welshman, foreigner') + denu ('valley') — i.e. 'valley of the Welsh' — not to weald ('forest'), a different Old English word.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Walden

WAWL-dənIPA /ˈwɔːldən/

Popularity of Walden

Lists That Include Walden

Similar Names

Woodrow · Timber · Yew · Sylvan · Larkin · Sequoia

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