Bearden
A surname that likely began as a place-name or nickname form built from the Old English word for “beard.”
The #2,670 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,872 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bearden is generally understood as an English surname formed from the old word beard, referring either to a bearded man or to a place-name based on that element. In many cases, surnames like this developed from a nickname for a man with a notable beard, though some families may instead descend from a now-lost or minor locality containing the same root. The final -en ending is consistent with older English surname and place-name formation, but the exact pathway for each family line is not always certain.
History
The surname is found in English-speaking records and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. In the United States it is established but not especially common, with several local family lines likely unrelated to one another. As with many English surnames, the same spelling can conceal more than one origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because beard-based surnames were often nicknames first, the original Bearden may have been memorable for facial hair long before surnames became fixed.