Find out how popular the last name Giddens is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Giddens.

Giddens, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Giddens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Giddens in America

Giddens is the 4995th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Giddens surname appeared 7,034 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Giddens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Giddens to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Giddens

The surname Giddens originated in England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Gida, a diminutive form of the name Gida or Gida-helm. The name Gida is thought to have evolved from the Old English word "gid" or "gyd," meaning "god" or "good."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Giddens can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Gida in Leicestershire. The name Giddens is believed to have evolved from the Old English patronymic form "Gidessunu," meaning "son of Gida."

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Giddens appeared in various records and documents with different spellings, such as Giddings, Giddens, and Giddens. These variations reflect the regional dialects and scribal preferences of the time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Walter Giddens was recorded as a landowner in Worcestershire. During the 14th century, a John Giddens was listed as a taxpayer in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Giddens in literature can be found in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, the renowned 14th-century English poet and author. In his literary masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer mentions a character named "Giddens the Reeve," suggesting that the name was well-established in medieval England.

In the 16th century, a Thomas Giddens was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1567, becoming a prominent figure in the local community. Another notable individual from this period was William Giddens, born in 1586 in Gloucestershire, who later became a respected scholar and author.

During the 17th century, the name Giddens gained further recognition with individuals such as John Giddens (1615-1690), a prominent clergyman and author from Somerset, and Thomas Giddens (1638-1712), a successful merchant and landowner from Kent.

In the 18th century, a notable figure named Robert Giddens (1716-1793) made a significant contribution to the field of mathematics and astronomy. He was born in Oxfordshire and later became a fellow of the Royal Society.

Throughout history, the surname Giddens has been associated with various place names and locations in England, such as Giddens Green in Warwickshire, Giddens Hill in Oxfordshire, and Giddens Farm in Gloucestershire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Giddens

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Giddens.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Giddens was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Giddens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Giddens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Giddens, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!