NameCensus.

UK surname

Gidden

An English habitational surname derived from a place name referring to a resident of Gidding, England.

In the 1881 census there were 104 people recorded with the Gidden surname, ranking it #19,296 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 102, ranked #30,722, down from #19,296 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, Islington and Peterborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gidden is 145 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.9%.

1881 census count

104

Ranked #19,296

Modern count

102

2016, ranked #30,722

Peak year

1911

145 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gidden had 104 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,296 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 102 in 2016, ranked #30,722.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 145 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Gidden surname distribution map

The map shows where the Gidden surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Gidden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gidden over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 59 #22,756
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 104 #19,296
1891 historical 132 #19,976
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 145 #18,255
1997 modern 113 #25,106
1998 modern 116 #25,332
1999 modern 122 #24,745
2000 modern 116 #25,452
2001 modern 107 #26,328
2002 modern 112 #26,165
2003 modern 101 #27,561
2004 modern 102 #27,637
2005 modern 98 #28,325
2006 modern 99 #28,453
2007 modern 99 #28,852
2008 modern 104 #28,341
2009 modern 112 #27,685
2010 modern 112 #28,336
2011 modern 113 #27,967
2012 modern 107 #29,017
2013 modern 106 #29,740
2014 modern 103 #30,539
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 102 #30,722

Geography

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Where Giddens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, London parishes, St Pancras, St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley, Islington, Peterborough, Merton and Manchester. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey London (South Districts)
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 007 Chorley
2 Islington 015 Islington
3 Peterborough 018 Peterborough
4 Merton 014 Merton
5 Manchester 015 Manchester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gidden

These lists show first names that appear often with the Gidden surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gidden

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gidden, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Gidden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Gidden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Gidden is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gidden is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gidden falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gidden is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
Other Ethnic Group

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gidden, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gidden

The surname Gidden is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English name Gideon, which was derived from the Hebrew name Gideon, meaning "feller" or "hewer."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gidden surname can be found in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Bristol, England, where a John Gidden was listed as a churchwarden in 1587. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1628, where a William Gidden is mentioned as a landowner.

While the Gidden surname does not appear in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, it is possible that the name was present in England at that time but was recorded under a different spelling or variant.

In the late 17th century, the Gidden surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Somerset, where it is believed to have originated from the village of Giddenham, which translates to "Gideon's homestead" or "Gideon's settlement." This village name likely contributed to the evolution of the Gidden surname.

One notable bearer of the Gidden surname was Sir John Gidden (1645-1722), an English landowner and member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of King William III. Another prominent figure was Reverend Thomas Gidden (1701-1776), a Anglican clergyman who served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Bruton, Somerset.

Other notable individuals with the Gidden surname include:

1. William Gidden (1793-1867), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenery. 2. Emily Gidden (1848-1927), a British author and poet whose works often explored themes of nature and spirituality. 3. Robert Gidden (1875-1938), a British engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of steam engine design. 4. Evelyn Gidden (1901-1983), an American politician who served as the first female mayor of Spokane, Washington, from 1959 to 1967. 5. Sir Geoffrey Gidden (1920-2002), a British diplomat who served as the British ambassador to several countries, including Italy and Spain.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gidden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gidden surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 33 Giddens recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.25x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 33 3.25x
Surrey 31 6.27x
Hampshire 27 12.99x
Midlothian 6 4.42x
Kent 3 0.87x
Warwickshire 2 0.78x
Hertfordshire 1 1.43x
Sussex 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bermondsey in Surrey leads with 25 Giddens recorded in 1881 and an index of 82.78x.

Place Total Index
Bermondsey 25 82.78x
Millbrook 10 190.84x
Bow London 9 69.71x
Islington London 9 9.15x
Southampton St John 8 3809.52x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 6 10.97x
Lymington 6 392.16x
Hampstead London 5 31.65x
St Clement Danes London 5 238.10x
St Giles In Fields London 4 80.32x
Caterham 3 137.61x
Newington 3 8.01x
Birmingham 2 2.35x
Deptford St Paul 2 7.49x
Southampton All Sts 2 56.02x
Brighton 1 2.90x
Lewisham 1 5.42x
Southampton St Mary 1 7.65x
St George Hanover Square 1 5.60x
Totteridge 1 454.55x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Gidden surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Gidden surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Walter 3
William 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
George 2
Herbert 2
Thomas 2
Arthur 1
Cleaffey 1
Edwd. 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Geo.W.B. 1
Geoc.Birky 1
Henry 1
James 1
John 1
Owen 1
Samuel 1
Theodore 1

FAQ

Gidden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gidden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 104 people were recorded with the Gidden surname. That placed it at #19,296 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gidden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 102 in 2016. That gives Gidden a modern rank of #30,722.

What does the Gidden surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from a place name referring to a resident of Gidding, England.

What does the Gidden map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gidden bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.