Houdan is a commune of the Yvelines department 63 kilometres west of Paris in the north of France. The name has evolved from the Saxon "…Houdan is a commune of the Yvelines department 63 kilometres west of Paris in the north of France. The name has evolved from the Saxon "Hoding," meaning "settlement on the hill". Houdan is thought to have been inhabited since the 5th century. By the 12th century, two churches and a château were present.