2000
#13,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,028
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Gildea
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "Mac Giolla Dé," meaning "son of the servant of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,218 Americans carry the last name Gildea. That puts it at #14,740 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,533 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gildea 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gildea with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,533
Census rank
#14,740
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,934 bearers of the surname Gildea in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14740th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gildea, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gildea
The surname Gildea has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the medieval Gaelic clan Ó Giolla Dé, which translates to "descendant of the devotee of God" or "servant of God." This name is derived from the Irish words "giolla" meaning servant and "Dé" meaning God.
The name was first recorded in the late 12th century in County Donegal, located in the northern part of Ireland. It was one of the prominent surnames in the region and was often associated with the powerful Ó Dochartaigh (O'Doherty) clan, who were lords of Inishowen.
In the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century, there are several references to individuals bearing the name Ó Giolla Dé or Gildea. One notable mention is in the year 1395, which records the death of Domhnall Ó Giolla Dé, a noted scholar and historian from County Donegal.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name in English is found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the 16th century, where it appears as "Gilledowe" in 1543. Over time, the name evolved to its more modern spelling of Gildea.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Gildea was Fergus Gildea, born in County Donegal around 1560. He was a prominent landowner and chieftain of the Gildea clan.
Another notable figure was Reverend Terence Gildea (1640-1720), a Catholic priest and author from County Donegal, who wrote several works on Irish history and theology.
In the 18th century, Patrick Gildea (1700-1789) was a successful merchant and landowner in Donegal, and his grandson, also named Patrick Gildea (1776-1844), was a prominent lawyer and judge in Ireland.
During the 19th century, James Gildea (1838-1920) was a renowned Irish-American author and journalist who wrote extensively about Irish culture and history.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Gildea was Sir James Gildea (1870-1948), an Irish-born British Army officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gildea
Among Census respondents with the surname Gildea, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gildea 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 Gildea surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 1,790
- Two or more races2.9% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gildea
Gildea 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
#14,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,049
+21 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 833 places
2020
#14,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,934
-115 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,712 | 2,028 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,545 | 2,049 | 0.69 | +21 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 833 places |
| 2020 | #14,740 | 1,934 | 0.65 | -115 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 195 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 Gildea 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 | #14,545 | #14,740 | -1.3% |
| Count | 2,049 | 1,934 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.65 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gildea bearers went from 2,049 to 1,934 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 195 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,545 to #14,740.
FAQ
Gildea surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gildea?
Name Census estimates that about 2,218 living Americans carry the surname Gildea. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,533 residents.
How common is Gildea?
Gildea ranks #14,740 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,934 people with the surname Gildea. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,218), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Gildea.
Has Gildea become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gildea went from 2,049 recorded bearers to 1,934. That is a decrease of 115 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,545 to #14,740.
What does the Census say about the background of Gildea?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gildea, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Gildea in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (1,790 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gildea appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Gildea (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 Gildea mean?
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "Mac Giolla Dé," meaning "son of the servant of God." 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 Gildea (0.65 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 surname Gildea?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.