Auden

Auden is an English surname used as a first name, traditionally explained as “old friend.” Its strongest cultural association is with W. H. Auden, the poet whose work helped make the surname recognizable far beyond a single family. For readers drawn to poetry, the literary reference may matter more than the inherited meaning.

Auden is used for boys and girls; actor Noah Wyle chose it for his daughter. The name’s surname background makes that flexibility understandable without requiring separate masculine and feminine forms. It should not automatically be treated as a spelling of Odin or of every Scandinavian name beginning Aud, since similar sounds can conceal different histories.