The term distributed model is widely applied to describe hydrologic models that can simulate broad classes of pathways of water through space, e.g., overland flow, saturated groundwater flow, and/or unsaturated flow in the vadose zone. Because existing distributed modeling approaches differ substantially from one another, we present a common framework from which to compare the many existing hillslope‐ and catchment‐scale models. To provide a context for understanding the structure of the current generation of distributed models, we briefly review the history of hydrologic modeling. We define relevant modeling terms and describe common physical, analytical, and empirical approaches for representing hydrologic processes in the subsurface, surface, atmosphere, and biosphere. We then introduce criteria for classifying existing distributed models based on the nature of their process representation, solution scheme, coupling between the surface and subsurface, and treatment of space and time. On the basis of these criteria we describe 19 representative distributed models and discuss how process, scale, solution, and logistical considerations can be incorporated into model selection and application.