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

Guild, 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 Guild surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guild in America

Guild is the 11250th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guild surname appeared 2,810 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 Guild.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guild 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 Guild

The surname Guild originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word 'gild' or 'gield', meaning a payment or tribute. It is thought to have initially referred to members of a trade guild or association, who would have paid fees to belong to their respective organizations.

One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Gilde' and 'Gild'. This suggests the name was already in use by the 11th century, likely among members of various craft guilds and merchant associations in towns and cities across England.

Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as 'Gilde', 'Gylde', and 'Guilde' appearing in historical documents from different regions. These spelling variations often reflected local dialects and scribal preferences.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Richard Guild, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London, who was mentioned in records dating back to 1275. Another early example is John Gilde, a landowner in Somerset, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

During the 14th century, the surname Guild appeared to gain further prominence, with individuals such as William Guild, a wealthy merchant and benefactor from Stratford-upon-Avon, who was born around 1340 and left a substantial endowment to the town upon his death in 1416.

In Scotland, the name Guild is also associated with the historic town of Guildtown, now known as Arbroath, which was once a center of monastic and commercial activity. This connection is reflected in the life of James Guild, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Arbroath, who lived in the late 16th century.

Another notable figure with this surname was Samuel Guild, an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, from 1660 to 1674. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and was known for his scholarly contributions.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Guild, reflecting its origins and associations with trade, commerce, and various professions and social standings across different regions of Britain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guild

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

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

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

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