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

Gideon, 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 Gideon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gideon in America

Gideon is the 7744th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gideon surname appeared 4,287 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gideon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gideon 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 Gideon

The surname Gideon is of Hebrew origin, deriving from the biblical name Gideon, meaning "hewer" or "feller of trees". It is believed to have originated in ancient Israel, where the name was borne by a notable judge and military leader in the Old Testament.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gideon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England at the time of the Norman Conquest. This suggests that individuals bearing this name were likely among the early Jewish settlers in England.

During the Middle Ages, the name Gideon was relatively uncommon in Europe, but it gained prominence among Puritans in England during the 16th and 17th centuries. This was due to the Puritans' penchant for using biblical names, as they sought to emulate the figures and values of the Old Testament.

Notable individuals with the surname Gideon throughout history include Jacob Gideon (1510-1585), a Dutch jurist and author who served as the Attorney General of Holland and West Friesland. Another prominent figure was Samson Gideon (1699-1762), a Dutch mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of optics.

In the 19th century, Jedidiah Gideon (1828-1899) was an American missionary and translator who dedicated his life to spreading Christianity in China. His efforts resulted in the translation of the Bible into several Chinese dialects, facilitating the spread of the faith in the region.

The name Gideon also has associations with the Gideons International, a Christian association founded in 1899 by two traveling salesmen. The organization is renowned for its widespread distribution of Bibles, particularly in hotels and motels across the United States and other countries.

Another notable figure is Melville Gideon (1909-1998), an American businessman and philanthropist who played a pivotal role in establishing the right to legal representation for defendants in criminal cases through the landmark Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963.

While the surname Gideon has its roots in ancient Hebrew and biblical sources, it has since spread globally, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gideon

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

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 Gideon 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 Gideon 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 Gideon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gideon, 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!