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Name at a glance

Gideon

Gideon is a Hebrew name often connected with cutting down or hewing.

Ranked #337 in US baby names in 2025, stable over the past 5 years.

Gideon is remembered in Judges as a reluctant leader whom God calls into courage, making the name especially resonant for families drawn to stories of weakness met by divine patience.

Browse names
OriginHebrew
GenderBoy
FeelCourageous
PronunciationGID-ee-un

Is Gideon biblical?

Yes

Biblical status Direct biblical person

Gideon is a named person in Scripture, a judge of Israel in the book of Judges called to deliver the people from Midian.

Is Gideon a Christian name?

Used by Christians, not distinctively

Christian tradition Christian cultural usage

Gideon is used among Christian families as a distinctive but recognizable Old Testament name, without a strong saint or liturgical heritage in the record.

Plain answer

Gideon is a biblical name from the book of Judges, used by Christian families as a distinctive Old Testament choice rather than through a deep church tradition.

Confidence Moderate Last reviewed July 19, 2026 How this works

Meaning

The meaning of Gideon

Gideon is often connected with Hebrew roots related to cutting down or hewing. In the biblical story, that meaning sits beside the account of Gideon tearing down his father's altar to Baal and being called to deliver Israel.

Biblical story

Gideon's reluctant courage

Gideon appears in Judges during a time of oppression and fear. He is not introduced as an obvious hero; he is threshing wheat in a hidden place when the angel of the LORD addresses him as a mighty man of valor.

That tension gives the name much of its power. Gideon's story is about courage that has to be drawn out, tested, and sustained by God's calling.

Christian reading

Strength through dependence

Gideon's victory with a reduced army is often remembered as a sign that deliverance belongs to God rather than human strength. The story has moments of faith, fear, testing, obedience, and later complexity.

For naming, Gideon feels strong but not simple. It carries courage, but also humility and the need for dependence on God.

Sound

How to pronounce Gideon

Phonetic
GID-ee-un
IPA
/ˈɡɪdiən/

3 syllables · stress: GID-ee-un · ends in a consonant

Forms

Variants and nicknames

Alternate spellings

  • Gedeon
  • Gidon
  • Gideone

Short forms and nicknames

  • Gid
  • Giddy

Languages

Gideon in other languages

Hebrew
גִּדְעוֹןGidon
Greek
ΓεδεώνGedeōn
Latin
Gedeon
Spanish
Gedeón
French
Gédéon
German
Gideon
Italian
Gedeone
Russian
ГедеонGedeon

Christian background

Christian and biblical background

Christians often read Gideon's story as a reminder that God can work through hesitant people. The name has been especially appealing to families who want an Old Testament name that is distinctive but recognizable.

Scripture

The biblical figure

Gideon is a judge of Israel called to deliver the people from Midian. His story includes signs, a reduced army, victory, and later complications.

Bearers

Notable people named Gideon

  • biblical

    GideonJudge of Israel in Judges 6 to 8, called by an angel while threshing wheat and used by God to deliver Israel from Midian

  • historical

    Gideon WellesUnited States Secretary of the Navy under Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, 1801 to 1878

  • historical

    Gideon SundbackSwedish-Canadian electrical engineer who developed the modern interlocking zipper, 1880 to 1954

  • modern

    Gideon GlickAmerican actor of Broadway and television, born 1988

Naming history

Naming tradition and history

Gideon has never been as common as Noah or Elijah, but it is familiar enough to be usable. It has a sturdy, distinctive sound and a clear biblical identity.

Recent US use

Gideon in recent US use

Rank in 2025
#337
Peak rank
#304 in 2017
Recent trend
stable over the last 5 years
Years in the SSA records
133 (since 1880)

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880-2025.

Sibling fit

Sibling name suggestions

For families

For families looking at Gideon

For a Christian family, Gideon may suit a child whose name should suggest courage without arrogance. It feels biblical, strong, and a little uncommon.

Common questions

What does Gideon mean?

Gideon is often connected with cutting down or hewing.

Is Gideon a biblical name?

Yes. Gideon appears in the book of Judges.

Why is Gideon a strong Christian name?

Gideon is remembered for being called into courage and learning dependence on God.

Sources

Sources for Gideon

  • A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Brown, Driver, and BriggsSupports: Hebrew etymology; meaning 'cutting down' or 'hewing'.
  • The Book of Judges, King James Version (KJV 1769)Supports: biblical figure; judge of Israel who delivers from Midian.

Last reviewed July 19, 2026. See our methodology, or report an error on the corrections page.

Read next

Related names

CalebBoth are Old Testament figures called from obscurity to fight for the LORD; Caleb at Kadesh-Barnea, Gideon at the threshing floor in Judges 6.DavidBoth Gideon and David are unlikely military leaders raised up from agricultural beginnings; both refuse offers of kingship (Gideon explicitly in Judges 8:23).SamuelBoth belong to the era when 'there was no king in Israel' (Judges 17:6); Gideon precedes Samuel by roughly a century in the judges-to-prophets transition.DanielBoth names center on faithful resistance to overwhelming odds; Gideon's 300 against the Midianites, Daniel against the Babylonian court.