Surname Breden - Meaning and Origin
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Breden: What does the surname Breden mean?
The last name Breden is a Swedish surname, likely derived from the Old Norse personal name 'Bretnir', meaning 'to grow wide' or 'to spread greatly'. This would suggest that the surname was given to somebody who was a successful, expanding farmer, or perhaps somebody who had a large family.
Breden is also thought to be derived from the Swedish noun 'bre', meaning 'meadow', indicating a family who lived near a field or pastures. This meaning is also found in the Old Norse 'breiðr', meaning 'broad habitation'.
The surname Breden is also related to the Old Norse word 'breið', which may refer to either a large expanse of land, or a flat, marshy area of land that floods during spells of wet weather. This may indicate a family with particular agricultural knowledge, or with a connection to land, resources and production.
The Breden surname suggests somebody with close ties to the land, who was progressive and expansion-minded, resourceful and entrepreneurial. It is likely that these qualities of the progenitor were passed on through generations of the Breden family.
Order DNA origin analysisBreden: Where does the name Breden come from?
The last name Breden is fairly common, particularly in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. In Scandinavia, the name is spread throughout Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, with the most frequency in the first two countries. Breden can also be found in Canada in some spots, particularly Northern Ontario, as some Scandinavian immigrants settled there. In the United Kingdom, the Breden name is most common in the East Midlands and around the North and West Yorkshire areas.
In the United States, the last name is found mainly in the midwestern part of the country and in states such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan. Other states with some frequency include North and South Dakota, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Texas and Oregon.
The last name Breden can also be found in other countries including Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, India, Spain and Portugal.
Variations of the surname Breden
The surname Breden has a wide variety of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Breden is a German surname that derives from the Middle English or Old High German word “breit” or “breet” which means “wide” or “broad”. Spellings that derive from the German would include Breden, Breeden, Breiten, Breitin, Breitenbach, and Braitenbach. In Dutch, the same word is spelled “breed” or “breedt”, leading to the variants Breeden, Bredt, Breit, Breedt, and Breitbach. In Scandinavian countries, the word is spelled “bred”, leading to the variants Bred, Breit, and Breiten. The surname can also be found in its French form, Brédent, or its Italian form, Bredenti.
Surnames of similar origin to Breden are also commonly found. Variants of the same name are often found in different countries or regions, such as Breitenberger (Germany, Austria), Britten (England), Breitenstein (Germany, Austria), Brandt (Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavia), Breitner (Germany, Austria), and Breitweiser (Germany). Other surnames with similar origins include Branden, Brettingen, Britsin, Breittner, Britting, Breithaupt, Breitmayer, Brittenkamp, Breitling, and Bredtmann.
All these variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin show the many ways the surname Breden has been adapted through its centuries of history.
Famous people with the name Breden
- Carol Breden: professional hammer thrower
- Paul Breden: model and actor
- Alex Breden: actor and voiceover artist
- Duke Breden: artist and filmmaker
- Janne Breden: Norwegian actress
- Jens Breden: visual artist
- Kjell Breden: Swedish-American musician
- Mel Breden: retired professional American basketball player
- Steve Breden: former NFL player
- Tim Breden: German football coach