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

Gilder, 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 Gilder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilder in America

Gilder is the 15328th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilder surname appeared 1,913 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 Gilder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilder 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 Gilder

The surname Gilder originates from England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "gildan," which means "to gild" or cover with a thin layer of gold. This name would have originally referred to a person who worked as a gilder, someone skilled in applying gold leaf or other precious metals to objects such as religious artifacts, decorative items, or manuscripts.

The earliest known record of the surname Gilder can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "le Gildere." This suggests that people with this occupation were already being identified by this surname in the 13th century.

Another early reference to the name Gilder can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John le Gildere is listed. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname was common practice at the time, indicating the occupation or place of origin.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as "Gyldere" and "Gildere," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common before standardization. One notable example is Roger le Gildere, who is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1379.

As the surname spread throughout England, it became associated with certain regions or towns. For instance, in the 16th century, there are records of Gilders living in the town of Guildford, Surrey, which may have influenced the spelling of their surname.

Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Gilder throughout history are:

1. Richard Gilder (1844-1909), an American businessman and publisher who co-founded the literary magazine "The Century."
2. Jeannette Leonard Gilder (1849-1916), an American writer and editor who contributed to several prominent literary magazines.
3. William Henry Gilder (1812-1864), an American clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
4. Joseph Benson Gilder (1858-1936), an American poet and editor who published several volumes of poetry.
5. Richard Watson Gilder (1844-1909), an American poet, editor, and critic who served as the editor of "The Century Magazine."

The surname Gilder continues to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong historical ties to England, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its origins and earliest records can be traced back to medieval England, where it was an occupational name given to those who practiced the skilled craft of gilding.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilder

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

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

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