The Baby Name Wizard

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Arden!

Comments and insights on the name Arden: | Edit

Shakespeare; "Forest of Arden" - a place of love and beauty

Personal experiences with the name Arden: | Edit

1-27-09 I gave birth to a girl and we named her Arden, middle name Lynn.
1-30-08 My wife gave birth to a boy and we named him Arden and my wife's name is Lynn. Thought that was kind of a coinky-dink.

Nicknames for Arden: | Edit

Ardy
Ardie

Meanings and history of the name Arden: | Edit

Arden comes from the Hebrew word for the garden of Eden, meaning a place of solitude and great beauty. Shakespeare used the name an an homage to his mother, whose name was Mary Arden, when he named the solitary and beautiful forest in his play. We felt if it was good enough for both the Bible and the Bard, it was good enough for out little girl.

I don't think the above explanation is correct. The Forest of Arden is a real place in England, located right next to Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare came from. Shakespeare's mother was indeed named Mary Arden; she came from a prominent family in the area who took their name from the forest. The Forest of Arden in As You Like It is an imaginary version which incorporates elements from the Ardennes Forest in Belgium/Luxembourg/France. As far as the derivation of the name goes, it probably comes from an ancient British (i.e. Celtic) word "ardu," meaning "high" or "high land." There are towns in the area of the forest called Henley-in-Arden, Tanworth-in-Arden and Hampton-in-Arden, and a couple of villages in Scotland named Arden as well.

Famous real-life people named Arden: | Edit

Arden Myrin, actress and comedian

Elizabeth Arden, the founder of the cosmetics giant. Her real name was Florence Nightingale Graham.

Arden in song, story & screen: | Edit

Eve Arden (April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American actress. Her almost 60-year career crossed most media frontiers with supporting and leading roles, but she is perhaps best remembered for playing the sardonic but engaging high school teacher in the classic Our Miss Brooks (radio and television), and as the Rydell High School principal in the films Grease and Grease 2.

"Enoch Arden," a narrative poem by Lord Tennyson