Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Luddingden(e) 1284–1325 WCR 1587 WillY 1645 PRHept

• Luddigden 1307 WCR

• Luddinden 1563 TudPD

• Luddenden 1805 YAJxxxii,355

• Loddingdene 1285 WCR

• Ludingden(e) 1296,1297 WCR

• Ludigdenn 1309 Ext

• Loudyngedene 1462 MinAcct

• Lodynden 1563 PRHfx

• Lodendyn 1568 ib

Etymology

The single form Loudynge - suggests that Luddenden goes back to an OE base in hlūd 'loud' (shortened in the polysyllabic compound to Lud (d )- with the spelling variant Lod (d )-) rather than the OE  pers.n. Lud (d )a . In all probability the first el. is *Hlūding , an old name for the stream which is now sometimes called the Ludd (or more commonly Luddenden Brook (RNs.)), Ludd being a modern back- formation from the p.n. On the formation of stream-names of this type from an adj. and the suffix -ing 2 , v. EPN i, 289 § iv. 'The Ludding valley', v. denu . Topographically this is an apt description of this steep deep side-valley of Calderdale and its stream.