Guilda
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to the French word "gilde" meaning "guild".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Guilda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Guilda today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Guilda births was 1924 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Guilda. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Guilda is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Guildas were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Guilda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1924
7 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,855
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Guilda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Guilda from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Guilda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Guilda 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 Guilda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Guilda
The name Guilda has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically from the Old High German word "gild" or "gelt," meaning "money" or "payment." It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 8th to 10th centuries, in regions where Germanic tribes settled, such as present-day Germany and parts of Central Europe.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Guilda can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 9th century. In these records, the name appears as "Gilda" and is associated with individuals involved in trade and commerce, likely reflecting the monetary connotation of the name's root.
During the Middle Ages, the name Guilda was also occasionally bestowed upon members of guilds, which were associations of craftsmen or merchants. These guilds played a significant role in the economic and social fabric of medieval European cities, further strengthening the connection between the name and trade-related activities.
Historically, there are a few notable individuals who bore the name Guilda. One example is Guilda of Semur (c. 1050 - c. 1120), a French noblewoman from Burgundy who founded the Benedictine monastery of Notre-Dame de Semur. Another figure is Guilda of Milan (c. 1180 - c. 1240), an Italian nun and mystic who is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
In the 13th century, a German nun named Guilda of Helfta (c. 1200 - c. 1260) gained recognition for her spiritual writings and visions. She was a member of the Benedictine convent of Helfta in Saxony and is considered one of the notable mystics of the Middle Ages.
Moving forward in time, Guilda Stavn (1875 - 1946) was a Norwegian writer and feminist activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in her country. She wrote several novels and short stories that explored themes of women's rights and societal issues.
Another notable figure with the name Guilda is Guilda Amarante (1920 - 2009), a Brazilian painter and ceramist who was part of the Modernist movement in Brazil. Her works, which often depicted scenes from Brazilian folklore and culture, are part of prestigious collections in her home country and abroad.
While the name Guilda may have originated from a monetary term, it has transcended its initial meaning and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, religious figures, writers, artists, and activists, leaving a lasting impact on their respective societies and cultural spheres.
People
Guilda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Guilda 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
Guilda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Guilda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Guilda 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 Guilda a common name?
We classify Guilda 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, 33 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Guilda most popular?
The single biggest year for Guilda was 1924, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Guilda is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Guilda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Guilda in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.