boy's name
Gideon
GID-ee-un
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 24,740
the United States
#337
2025 births
Gideon is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "hewer" or "one who cuts down". It belongs to the judge in the Book of Judges who defeated a much larger army with three hundred men, and the name describes an action rather than a quality.
- Gideon is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2017, when 1,161 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,339 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Gideon over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 81 |
| 1890s | 24 |
| 1900s | 40 |
| 1910s | 185 |
| 1920s | 226 |
| 1930s | 115 |
| 1940s | 120 |
| 1950s | 160 |
| 1960s | 207 |
| 1970s | 402 |
| 1980s | 704 |
| 1990s | 1,089 |
| 2000s | 3,466 |
| 2010s | 9,231 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,252 |
What Gideon means
Gideon means one who cuts or hews, from a Hebrew root meaning to cut down. The sense is of felling — the biblical Gideon's first recorded act is destroying his father's altar to Baal, which is what earns him the name in the text.
Where Gideon comes from
Gideon comes from the Hebrew Gidon, from a root meaning to cut down or hew. The Book of Judges gives him a second name, Jerubbaal, let Baal contend, awarded after he destroyed the town's altar. His campaign against the Midianites is remembered for the reduction of his force from twenty-two thousand to three hundred, chosen by how they drank from a stream. The name entered English use with the Puritans, who favored Hebrew names from the historical books, and it traveled to America with them. The Gideons International, founded in 1899, took the name for the Bibles they distribute.
Gideon in use
Gideon appears in our records in every year from 1880 and charts in six of the seven countries we track.
How popular is Gideon?
In 2025, Gideon was given to 993 babies in the United States, ranking #337 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Gideon is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Gideon is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Gidéon | Gidéon is a rare spelling of Gideon, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Gideon
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Gideon also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gideon over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Gideon
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Gideon in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Gideon
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Gideon — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Gideon
What does the name Gideon mean?
One who cuts down or hews, from the Hebrew Gidon.
Who was Gideon in the Bible?
A judge of Israel who defeated the Midianites with three hundred men, chosen by how they drank from a stream.
How do you pronounce Gideon?
GID-ee-un, with a hard G.
How popular is the name Gideon?
In 2025, Gideon was given to 993 babies in the United States, ranking #337 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Gideon a girl's or a boy's name?
Gideon is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Gideon?
Gideon has 3 syllables.
When was Gideon most popular?
Gideon peaked in 2017, when 1,161 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Gideon?
Gideon is usually shortened to Gid.
Is Gideon a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gideon currently ranks #337 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.