Gidon
A masculine given name of Hebrew origin meaning "mighty warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Gidon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gidon today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gidon births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gidon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gidon with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gidon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,849
Tracked since 2023
Census
Gidon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 151 people with the first name Gidon, which placed it at #45,179 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#45,179
National first-name rank
People counted
151
151 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
76.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gidon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gidon is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gidon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gidon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 116
- Black or African American9.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.6% · 10
- Two or more races4.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
Popularity
Gidon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gidon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gidon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gidon
The name Gidon has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "gideon," which means "mighty warrior" or "hewer" (one who cuts down trees). The name is closely associated with the biblical figure Gideon, who was a judge and military leader in ancient Israel.
In the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible, Gideon was chosen by God to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. Despite having a small army, Gideon emerged victorious with divine intervention. This biblical account has made the name Gidon a popular choice among Jews and Christians, symbolizing strength, courage, and faith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gidon can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient Jewish religious manuscripts dating back to the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE. This attests to the name's antiquity and its use among Jewish communities in ancient times.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gidon. One of the most famous was Gideon ben Avraham (1138-1188), a renowned Jewish philosopher and mystic from Provence, France. He was known for his commentaries on the Kabbalah and his influence on Jewish mysticism.
Another notable figure was Gideon Mantell (1790-1852), an English obstetrician, geologist, and paleontologist. He is best known for his discovery and naming of several dinosaur species, including the Iguanodon. His contributions to the field of paleontology were significant.
In the religious realm, Gideon Ouseley (1762-1839) was an Irish Anglican priest and missionary who served in India. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the Church Missionary Society and the promotion of Christianity in South Asia.
Gideon Sundback (1880-1954), a Swedish-American electrical engineer, is credited with inventing the modern zipper or "separable fastener." His innovative design revolutionized the clothing and manufacturing industries.
Lastly, Gideon Hausner (1915-1990) was an Israeli lawyer and prosecutor who played a pivotal role in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the key organizers of the Holocaust. His prosecution efforts brought Eichmann to justice and shed light on the atrocities committed during the Nazi regime.
People
Gidon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gidon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gidon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gidon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gidon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Gidon a common name?
We classify Gidon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gidon most popular?
The single biggest year for Gidon was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gidon is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gidon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 151 people with the name Gidon, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,179 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gidon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gidon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gidon leans strongly male. 155 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gidon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gidon is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gidon most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gidon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (116 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gidon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gidon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gidon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gidon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gidon in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gidon can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Gidon as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Gidon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.