Total births
22,270
Boys' name · since 1880
Gideon
Gideon has 22,270 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2017 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #329
- among boys today
- 22,270
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Gideon is the #329 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 22,270 recorded since 1880.
Gideon has 22,270 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #329 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #329 among boys today
- 22,270 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gideon is currently the #329 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 22,270 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #329
- among boys today
- 22,270
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Gideon vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#329
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
41% of everyone ever named Gideon was born in this single decade.
2017
Single peak year
1,161 babies were named Gideon in 2017 - its busiest year on record.
How Gideon compares
22,270 Top 5% higher than 95% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Gideon's all-time total is 61x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gideon | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 22,270 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,161 | 23 | 22,252 |
Gideon's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Gideon's full recorded timeline at 1959, 96% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 4% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2017 peak of 1,161 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Gideon at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2017
Current rank
#329
Active since
1880
Gideon popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2017)
- 1,161
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Gideon popularity over time - girls
32 total births recorded since 2002 (Gideon as girls' name)
Gideon by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Gideon's strongest decade.
9,221 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Gideon births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 81
1880s
81 births
- 1890s 24
1890s
24 births
- 1900s 40
1900s
40 births
- 1910s 185
1910s
185 births
- 1920s 226
1920s
226 births
- 1930s 115
1930s
115 births
- 1940s 120
1940s
120 births
- 1950s 160
1950s
160 births
- 1960s 207
1960s
207 births
- 1970s 402
1970s
402 births
- 1980s 704
1980s
704 births
- 1990s 1,089
1990s
1,089 births
- 2000s 3,460
2000s
3,460 births
- 2010s
2010s
9,221 births
- 2020s
2020s
6,236 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 9,221 births (41% of all-time use).
How Gideon compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Gideon's total volume
Gideon vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Gideon by state
Where Gideon concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,703 | 7.6% |
| #2 | California | | 1,406 | 6.3% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 1,117 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,012 | 4.5% |
| #5 | New York | | 908 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 820 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Florida | | 725 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Washington | | 719 | 3.2% |
Texas share of Gideon's total US births 7.6%
Even split
1,703 of 22,270 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Gideon appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gideon? ▼
Gideon has been given to 22,270 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #329 as of the latest data. 1,161 babies were born in 2017, its single highest year.
When was Gideon most popular? ▼
Gideon was most popular in the 2010s decade with 9,221 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is Gideon most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gideon are Texas (1,703 births), California (1,406 births), Pennsylvania (1,117 births).
How long has the name Gideon been used? ▼
Records for Gideon go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Gideon? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gid, Giddeon, Gidon. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Gideon's data
- Gideon's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (9,221 total births) through the 2020s (6,236) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Gideons (1,703 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gideon
Nearby Names Like Gideon
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gideon
Compare Gideon side by side: Gideon vs Gid Gideon vs Giddeon Gideon vs Gidon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gideon
Jensen #328
17,347 births · Peak 2025
Preston #330
122,958 births · Peak 2007
Briggs #327
9,377 births · Peak 2024
Maximus #331
34,662 births · Peak 2014
Dakota #326
93,118 births · Peak 1995
Archie #332
56,244 births · Peak 2025
Orion #325
23,120 births · Peak 2018
Erick #333
79,463 births · Peak 2007
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gideon: #329 Boys' Name - 22,270 Births, Peak 2017." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gideon. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Gideon draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.