2000
#11,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Gaydos
A Ukrainian surname derived from the given name Gajdosz, which means "piper" or "bagpiper" in Polish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,493 Americans carry the last name Gaydos. That puts it at #13,394 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaydos surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,487
Census rank
#13,394
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,174 bearers of the surname Gaydos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13394th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaydos, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaydos
The surname Gaydos has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th century, derived from the Old Slavic word "haiduk," which referred to irregular soldiers or freedom fighters in the Balkans.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaydos can be found in the Moravian Land Records of 1592, where a certain Jan Gaydos is mentioned as a resident of the town of Brno. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Gaydos appears in various church records and tax registers across Moravia and Silesia, which were then part of the Habsburg monarchy. For instance, a certain Tomas Gaydos is listed as a landowner in the village of Vitkov in 1638.
By the 18th century, the name had spread to other parts of Central Europe, including Poland and Hungary. In 1724, a Polish noble named Jakub Gaydos was granted a coat of arms by King Augustus II, indicating the family's elevated social status at the time.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Gaydos was Jan Gaydos (1756-1839), a Czech painter and engraver who was active in Prague during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His works can be found in various galleries and museums across the Czech Republic.
Another prominent individual with the surname Gaydos was Andrej Gaydos (1871-1945), a Slovak writer and journalist who played a significant role in the cultural and political life of Slovakia in the early 20th century. He was a vocal advocate for Slovak autonomy and authored several novels and plays that explored themes of national identity and social inequality.
In the 20th century, the name Gaydos gained recognition in the United States, particularly among Czech and Slovak immigrants. One notable American bearing the surname was Frank Gaydos (1888-1962), a professional baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox in the early 1900s.
Another notable American with the surname Gaydos was Joseph Gaydos (1925-2016), a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1995.
Overall, the surname Gaydos has a rich history that can be traced back to the 16th century in Central Europe, where it likely originated as a reference to the freedom fighters of the Balkans. Over the centuries, the name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, athletes, and politicians, across multiple countries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaydos
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaydos, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaydos bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gaydos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,043
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 67
- Two or more races2.2% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaydos
Gaydos appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,386
-105 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,316 places
2020
#13,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
-212 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,573 | 2,491 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,889 | 2,386 | 0.81 | -105 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 1,316 places |
| 2020 | #13,394 | 2,174 | 0.73 | -212 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 505 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gaydos surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,889 | #13,394 | -3.9% |
| Count | 2,386 | 2,174 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.73 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaydos bearers went from 2,386 to 2,174 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 505 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,889 to #13,394.
FAQ
Gaydos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaydos?
Name Census estimates that about 2,493 living Americans carry the surname Gaydos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,487 residents.
How common is Gaydos?
Gaydos ranks #13,394 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,174 people with the surname Gaydos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gaydos.
Has Gaydos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaydos went from 2,386 recorded bearers to 2,174. That is a decrease of 212 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,889 to #13,394.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaydos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaydos, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gaydos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,043 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaydos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gaydos (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gaydos mean?
A Ukrainian surname derived from the given name Gajdosz, which means "piper" or "bagpiper" in Polish. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gaydos (0.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Gaydos?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Gaydos is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.