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Meaning & History
This surname is derived from the Germanic given name Aldwin, of which the Old English equivalent is Ealdwine. Also compare Alden, which is a surname that has the same etymological origins. The surname Auden was probably formed during the time of the Norman French occupation of England, as Germanic names containing -al- usually became -au- in Norman French. Examples of this are the given name Auberon and the surname Aubrey (both of which came from Alberich), but also the French surnames Baudry (ultimately from Baldric) and Gaudry (ultimately from Walderic).A famous bearer of this surname was the English poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).