Find out how popular the first name Seldon has been for the last 32 years (from 1975 to 2006) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Seldon by gender

Based on the last 32 years of data, Seldon is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2006, there were 6 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Seldon.

The history of the first name Seldon

The name Seldon is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words "seld" meaning "rare" or "uncommon" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "down". It is believed to have originated in the 7th or 8th century AD, when the Anglo-Saxons settled in what is now England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seldon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a landowner named Seldon in the county of Gloucestershire.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Seldon was prevalent among the English gentry and nobility. One notable bearer was Sir John Seldon (c. 1350 - 1432), a member of Parliament and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry V.

During the Renaissance period, the name gained literary significance when the English philosopher and statesman John Selden (1584 - 1654) rose to prominence. He was a renowned scholar of international law, constitutional theory, and Hebrew studies, and his works were widely influential in shaping legal and political thought.

In the 19th century, the name Seldon was associated with the American author and abolitionist Seldon Connor (1808 - 1892), who wrote several influential works advocating for the abolition of slavery and the rights of African Americans.

Another notable bearer of the name was the British mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970), whose middle name was Seldon. He was a Nobel laureate and one of the founders of analytic philosophy, known for his work on logic, set theory, and the philosophy of mathematics.

More recently, the name Seldon has been popularized in science fiction literature through the works of Isaac Asimov, particularly his Foundation series, where the character Hari Seldon is a renowned psychohistorian who develops a theory to predict the future course of human society.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Seldon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Seldon, please contact us.

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