Darden is of American origin, derived from the English surname 'Gardiner', which was itself an occupational name for a gardener. The name first appeared in its modern spelling during the 17th century in England. It has since been popularized in the United States, particularly in the Southern states.
Over the course of these years, the name Darden was quite popular, with a total of 68 babies being named Darden. However, there were noticeable fluctuations in its popularity; while some years saw as many as 7 or 6 births, other years like 1930 and 1942 had only 5 births each. The name's popularity seemed to peak between the late 1920s and early 1930s before tapering off again by the mid-1950s.