2000
#7,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,956
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Gideon
A biblical name derived from a Hebrew word meaning "feller" or "hewer," likely referring to a woodcutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,613 Americans carry the last name Gideon. That puts it at #7,913 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,302 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gideon 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
4.6K
1 in 74,302
Census rank
#7,913
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,023 bearers of the surname Gideon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7913th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gideon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gideon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gideon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gideon 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 Gideon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 2,926
- Black or African American11.1% · 445
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.7% · 269
- Two or more races4.3% · 175
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gideon
Gideon 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
#7,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,287
+331 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement No rank change
2020
#7,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,023
-264 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,744 | 3,956 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,744 | 4,287 | 1.45 | +331 bearers (+8.4%) | No rank change |
| 2020 | #7,913 | 4,023 | 1.35 | -264 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 169 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 Gideon 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 | #7,744 | #7,913 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,287 | 4,023 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.35 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gideon bearers went from 4,287 to 4,023 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,744 to #7,913.
FAQ
Gideon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gideon?
Name Census estimates that about 4,613 living Americans carry the surname Gideon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,302 residents.
How common is Gideon?
Gideon ranks #7,913 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 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 4,023 people with the surname Gideon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,613), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 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 Gideon.
Has Gideon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gideon went from 4,287 recorded bearers to 4,023. That is a decrease of 264 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,744 to #7,913.
What does the Census say about the background of Gideon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gideon, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%). 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 Gideon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (2,926 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gideon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.7%), Black (11.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%). 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 Gideon (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 Gideon mean?
A biblical name derived from a Hebrew word meaning "feller" or "hewer," likely referring to a woodcutter. 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 Gideon (1.35 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 share the surname Gideon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.