2000
#105,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Guydon
A name variation derived from the French Guy, potentially associated with the region or occupation of guiding or leading others.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 181 Americans carry the last name Guydon. That puts it at #116,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,893,670 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guydon 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.
Bearers in the US
181
1 in 1,893,670
Census rank
#116,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
158
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 158 bearers of the surname Guydon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guydon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guydon
The surname GUYDON has its origins in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French words "guion" or "guidon," which referred to a standard-bearer or ensign who carried a flag or guidon (a type of small flag) during battles or military campaigns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GUYDON can be found in the records of the French province of Normandy, where a certain Raoul Guydon was mentioned in a document dated 1289. This suggests that the name may have originated from this region, where the occupation of a standard-bearer was likely held by one of GUYDON's ancestors.
In the 14th century, the GUYDON name appeared in various municipal and ecclesiastical records across different regions of France, such as Brittany, Anjou, and Île-de-France. During this time, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Guidon, Guydon, Guydone, and Guidhon, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the GUYDON surname was Jacques Guydon, a French lawyer and jurist who lived from 1567 to 1635. He served as a prominent member of the Parlement of Paris and was known for his expertise in civil and canon law.
Another notable GUYDON was Pierre Guydon, who lived from 1592 to 1656. He was a French sculptor and architect actively involved in the construction and renovation of several notable buildings in Paris, including the Tuileries Palace and the Church of Saint-Eustache.
In the 17th century, the GUYDON name was also found in the records of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada). One such individual was Jean Guydon, who was born in 1632 and was among the earliest European settlers in the region.
The name GUYDON has also been linked to certain place names in France, such as the village of Guydon-Grange in the Auvergne region. This suggests that some branches of the GUYDON family may have taken their surname from a specific geographic location.
Throughout history, other notable individuals with the GUYDON surname include Jacques-Marie Guydon (1719-1789), a French Jesuit priest and historian, and Louis-Marie Guydon (1803-1886), a French painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guydon
Among Census respondents with the surname Guydon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Guydon 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 Guydon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.9% · 142
- Two or more races6.3% · 10
- White1.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guydon
Guydon 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
#106,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
+12 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 191 places
2020
#116,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
-10 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,678 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,905 | 156 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #106,096 | 168 | 0.06 | +12 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 191 places |
| 2020 | #116,774 | 158 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 10,678 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 Guydon 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 | #106,096 | #116,774 | -10.1% |
| Count | 168 | 158 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guydon bearers went from 168 to 158 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 10,678 positions in the national ranking, going from #106,096 to #116,774.
FAQ
Guydon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guydon?
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the surname Guydon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,893,670 residents.
How common is Guydon?
Guydon ranks #116,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 158 people with the surname Guydon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Guydon.
Has Guydon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guydon went from 168 recorded bearers to 158. That is a decrease of 10 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #106,096 to #116,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Guydon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guydon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and White (1.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Guydon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guydon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.9%), Two or More Races (6.3%), White (1.9%). 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 Guydon (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 Guydon mean?
A name variation derived from the French Guy, potentially associated with the region or occupation of guiding or leading others. 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 Guydon (0.05 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 share the surname Guydon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.