2000
#37,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Gildon
An English surname derived from a placename meaning "hill valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 651 Americans carry the last name Gildon. That puts it at #41,313 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 526,504 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gildon 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
651
1 in 526,504
Census rank
#41,313
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
568
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 568 bearers of the surname Gildon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41313th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gildon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gildon
The surname Gildon originated in the Brittany region of northwestern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "gille," meaning a young man or servant. The name was initially an occupational surname given to young servants or workers.
In the early 13th century, the name appeared in various records from the Brittany region, with spellings such as "Gillon" and "Gyllon." One of the earliest known references is found in the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Aubin in Angers, dated 1218, which mentions a certain "Robertus Gildon."
The surname Gildon later spread to other parts of France and eventually to England, where it can be traced back to the 14th century. One notable early bearer of the name was John Gildon, a landowner from Suffolk, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1327.
In the 16th century, the Gildon family established themselves in the county of Devon, England. A prominent figure from this branch was Edward Gildon (1550-1621), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Taunton, Devon.
Another notable individual with the surname was Charles Gildon (1665-1724), an English writer, critic, and playwright. He was born in Gillingham, Dorset, and is best known for his work "The Laws of Poetry," published in 1721.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Gildon families immigrated to the American colonies, particularly to Virginia and Maryland. One of the earliest recorded immigrants was John Gildon, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Gildon name was William Gildon (1815-1892), a British architect and surveyor. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons.
Another significant figure with the surname was Sir Henry Gildon (1838-1912), a British politician and businessman. He served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough from 1885 to 1900 and was involved in various industrial and commercial ventures.
The name Gildon has also been found in other parts of the world, such as Australia and New Zealand, likely due to migration from Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gildon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gildon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gildon 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 Gildon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.0% · 307
- White33.3% · 189
- Two or more races5.8% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gildon
Gildon 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
#39,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 565
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 1,859 places
2020
#41,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 568
+3 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,309 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,145 | 565 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,004 | 565 | 0.19 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,859 places |
| 2020 | #41,313 | 568 | 0.19 | +3 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 2,309 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 Gildon 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 | #39,004 | #41,313 | -5.9% |
| Count | 565 | 568 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gildon bearers went from 565 to 568 (+0.5% change). The surname moved down 2,309 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,004 to #41,313.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gildon
FAQ
Gildon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gildon?
Name Census estimates that about 651 living Americans carry the surname Gildon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 526,504 residents.
How common is Gildon?
Gildon ranks #41,313 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 568 people with the surname Gildon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Gildon.
Has Gildon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gildon went from 565 recorded bearers to 568. That is an increase of 3 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,004 to #41,313.
What does the Census say about the background of Gildon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gildon, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.0%. The next largest groups are White (33.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gildon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.0% (307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gildon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.0%), White (33.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Gildon (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 Gildon mean?
An English surname derived from a placename meaning "hill valley". 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 Gildon (0.19 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 are called Gildon?
See how many people have the surname Gildon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.