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

Gideons, 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 Gideons surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gideons in America

Gideons is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gideons surname appeared 186 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gideons.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gideons 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 Gideons

The surname Gideons has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the personal name Gideon, which itself has Hebrew roots, meaning "destroyer" or "mighty warrior." The name was likely brought to England by Jewish settlers or crusaders returning from the Holy Land.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Gideons can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a Gideon de Bredfeld. This suggests that the name may have initially taken root in the Yorkshire region of northern England.

During the 13th century, the surname began appearing in various forms, such as Gidyn, Gidion, and Gidyun, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common at the time. Some of these early spellings were likely influenced by the Norman-French language, which was widely used by the ruling classes in England after the Norman Conquest.

The Gideons surname is also closely associated with the town of Gidding, located in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire). This place name, recorded as Ghidding in the Domesday Book of 1086, may have served as a source for the surname in some cases.

One notable figure bearing the Gideons surname was Nicholas Gideons, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1370 to 1389. Another was John Gideons, a 16th-century English soldier and adventurer who fought in the Anglo-Spanish War and was later granted land in Ireland.

In the 17th century, the Gideons surname gained prominence with the birth of Obadiah Gideons (1619-1699), a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire. His son, Sampson Gideons (1659-1728), was a noted philanthropist who founded a school for the poor in the town of Chipping Norton.

Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the Gideons surname continued to be represented across various fields. Notable figures included Richard Gideons (1711-1786), a renowned English architect who designed several churches and country houses, and Charles Gideons (1798-1874), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America.

Throughout its history, the Gideons surname has maintained a strong association with England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Gloucestershire. While it has spread to other parts of the world through migration, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the various influences that shaped the development of English surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gideons

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

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

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

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