2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gidenko
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly Ukrainian or Russian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Gidenko. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gidenko 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Gidenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gidenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gidenko
The surname Gidenko has its origins in Ukraine, emerging in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian word "hidenko," meaning "little crane." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a tall, slender stature or someone who lived near a place where cranes were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gidenko can be found in a Ukrainian census from the city of Poltava in 1678. It lists a Ivan Gidenko, a farmer and landowner in the region. The name also appears in various church records and land deeds from the 17th and 18th centuries in the areas around Kyiv and Chernihiv.
In the 19th century, the name Gidenko was associated with several notable figures in Ukrainian history. Hryhoriy Gidenko (1814-1892) was a prominent Ukrainian writer and poet who was part of the Kharkiv Romantic literary movement. His works, such as "Velyka Vechirnytsia" (The Great Evening), celebrated Ukrainian folklore and traditions.
Another notable bearer of the name was Marko Gidenko (1838-1916), a Ukrainian military leader who fought in the Crimean War and later served as a general in the Imperial Russian Army. He was awarded several military honors for his service, including the Order of St. George.
In the early 20th century, the name Gidenko gained recognition through the work of Oleksandr Gidenko (1895-1976), a renowned Ukrainian sculptor. His most famous works include the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Kharkiv and the statue of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in Kyiv.
Another notable figure with the surname Gidenko was Mykola Gidenko (1905-1984), a Ukrainian physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He was awarded the Order of Lenin for his research on nuclear reactions and the development of particle accelerators.
While the surname Gidenko is primarily found in Ukraine, it has also been carried by several notable individuals in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe, reflecting the historical migrations and connections between these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gidenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Gidenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gidenko 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 Gidenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 112
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gidenko
Gidenko 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+19 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,279 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 10,279 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,064 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 Gidenko 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 | #140,157 | #147,221 | -5.0% |
| Count | 119 | 113 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gidenko bearers went from 119 to 113 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #147,221.
FAQ
Gidenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gidenko?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Gidenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Gidenko?
Gidenko ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Gidenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gidenko.
Has Gidenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gidenko went from 119 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Gidenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gidenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%). 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 Gidenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gidenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Gidenko (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 Gidenko mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly Ukrainian or Russian. 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 Gidenko (0.04 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 many people have the last name Gidenko?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Gidenko at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.