2000
#10,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,805
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Guida
An Italian occupational surname referring to a guide or leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,879 Americans carry the last name Guida. That puts it at #11,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guida 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 Guida with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,053
Census rank
#11,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,511 bearers of the surname Guida in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guida, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guida
The surname Guida originated in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "guida," which means "guide" or "leader." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who worked as a guide or a leader in their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Guida can be found in the 13th century in the town of Amalfi, located in the province of Salerno, Campania. In a document from 1267, a man named Giovanni Guida is mentioned as a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
The surname Guida can also be traced back to the town of Corigliano Calabro in the province of Cosenza, Calabria. Historical records from the 14th century mention a family with the surname Guida residing in this town.
In the 15th century, a man named Antonio Guida (1420-1492) was a renowned scholar and humanist from Naples. He was known for his works on philosophy and literature, and his writings were widely circulated throughout Italy during the Renaissance period.
Another notable individual with the surname Guida was Girolamo Guida (1530-1599), a painter from Naples who specialized in religious art. Some of his works can still be found in churches and museums across southern Italy.
In the 18th century, Nicola Guida (1720-1790) was a prominent architect from the town of Vietri sul Mare in the province of Salerno. He designed several churches and public buildings in the region, and his work was highly regarded during his time.
Tommaso Guida (1843-1917) was a Italian politician and journalist from the town of Caserta, Campania. He served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was known for his advocacy of workers' rights and social reforms.
Lastly, Vincenzo Guida (1895-1968) was a renowned sculptor from Naples. He was particularly known for his works in bronze and marble, and his sculptures can be found in various public spaces throughout Italy.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Guida who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout history. The name has a rich heritage and continues to be prevalent in southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania and Calabria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guida
Among Census respondents with the surname Guida, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Guida 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 Guida surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 2,251
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 177
- Two or more races1.6% · 41
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guida
Guida 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
#10,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,974
+169 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#11,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
-463 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,504 | 2,805 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,736 | 2,974 | 1.01 | +169 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #11,914 | 2,511 | 0.84 | -463 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 1,178 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 Guida 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 | #10,736 | #11,914 | -11.0% |
| Count | 2,974 | 2,511 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.84 | -16.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guida bearers went from 2,974 to 2,511 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 1,178 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,736 to #11,914.
FAQ
Guida surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guida?
Name Census estimates that about 2,879 living Americans carry the surname Guida. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,053 residents.
How common is Guida?
Guida ranks #11,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,511 people with the surname Guida. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Guida.
Has Guida become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guida went from 2,974 recorded bearers to 2,511. That is a decrease of 463 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,736 to #11,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Guida?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guida, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Guida in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,251 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guida appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Guida (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 Guida mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a guide or leader. 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 Guida (0.84 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 Americans have the surname Guida?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.