Gideon Welles
US Secretary of the Navy during the American Civil War
Boy Old & New Testament Very common
Gideon
he that bruises or breaks; a destroyer
גִּדְעוֹן Γεδεών gid.on
Gideon (Hebrew: גִּדְעוֹן, gid.on) means “he that bruises or breaks; a destroyer”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 52 verses across 4 books of the Bible. In 2025 it was given to 993 children in the United States, ranking 337. Around 22,302 Americans have been given it since 1880. Appears with Abimelech in 2 Samuel 11.
Merged person graphTIPNR + BibleData
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Gideon
father of Zebul; father of Jotham; father of Ebed
TIPNR + BibleDataSSA · public domain
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
Concordance Depth Index
94.2 · rank 63
US usage today
rank 337 · 993 births in 2025
TIPNR + BibleDataSTEPBible · CC BY
At a glance
- Verses
- 52 across 4 books
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Both
- Era
- Judges
SSA · public domainibge_censoine_es_edad_mediaIRN PT
The same name elsewhere
| Country | Form | Standing | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Gideon | rank 337 · 993 in 2025 | Births in year |
| Brazil | GIDEAO | 2,932 bearers · born 1940–2010 | Living residents |
| Spain | GEDEON | 132 bearers · mean age 20.9 | Living residents |
| Portugal | Gideão | not on the approved list | IRN approved list |
Not being on Portugal's list is not the same as being forbidden. The list records names approved for registration, and exceptions exist for foreign citizens and for names already used in a family.
Two different questions are shown here. Rows marked births in year count children registered during a period; rows marked living residents count people of every age alive at a census. They answer different questions and are never added together.
SSA · public domainBirths in year
Using it today
Very unlikely to share a classroom with another.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 993 | Steady |
| All-time total | 22,302 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 1,161 in 2017 | Its highest year on record |
| Strongest state | TX | Highest share relative to births |
Merged person graph52 verse pairs
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Judges 6:11 |
| Last appears | Hebrews 11:32 |
| Cross-references | 748 linked passages |
Computed · A2/A3Rationale generated
Names connected to this one
- Joash co-occurrence Appears with Joash in Judges 8.
- Abimelech co-occurrence Appears with Abimelech in 2 Samuel 11.
- Jotham co-occurrence Appears with Jotham in Judges 9.
- Zeeb co-occurrence Appears with Zeeb in Judges 7.
- Oreb co-occurrence Appears with Oreb in Judges 7.
- Zalmunna co-occurrence Appears with Zalmunna in Judges 8.
- Zebah co-occurrence Appears with Zebah in Judges 8.
Origin & meaning
Strong's number
H1439
Hebrew
גִּדְעוֹן
Greek
Γεδεών
Transliteration
gid.on
A Judge living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.6.11;
son of: Joash (H3101);
father of: Jether (H3500), Abimelech (H0040H) and Jotham (H3147); also called Jerubbaal at Jdg.6.32; 7.1; 8.29,35; 9.1,2,5,16,19,24,28,57; 1xJerubbesheth at 2Sa.11.21;
§ Gideon = "hewer"
youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites
Gideon, also called Jerubbaal or Jerubbesheth, was a judge of Israel who, with God's help, defeated the Midianites and delivered Israel from oppression.
The biblical story
Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal or Jerubbesheth, was a judge of Israel during the period of the judges, as recorded in the book of Judges, chapters 6-8. He is also mentioned in Heb.11.32 as an example of faith. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the clan of Abiezer in the tribe of Manasseh (Jdg.6.11, 15). During a time when Israel was oppressed by the Midianites, God called Gideon to deliver His people (Jdg.6.14). Gideon initially doubted his ability to save Israel, but God reassured him through various signs, including a fleece wet with dew (Jdg.6.36-40). Gideon destroyed the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole, earning him the name Jerubbaal, which means "let Baal contend against him" (Jdg.6.25-32).
With a reduced army of 300 men, chosen by God, Gideon defeated the Midianites through a surprise attack, using trumpets, empty jars, and torches (Jdg.7.1-25). He pursued the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, and captured them (Jdg.8.4-21). After the victory, the Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them, but he refused, stating that only God should rule over Israel (Jdg.8.22-23). However, Gideon made an ephod from the gold taken from the Midianites, which became a snare to him and his family (Jdg.8.24-27).
Gideon had seventy sons and many wives, including a concubine from Shechem who bore him a son named Abimelech (Jdg.8.29-31). After Gideon's death, Abimelech killed his seventy brothers and became king of Shechem, but his rule was short-lived and ended in his death (Judges 9). Gideon is remembered as a deliverer of Israel, and his story is referenced in 1Sa.12.11 and 2Sa.11.21. The name Jerubbesheth (2Sa.11.21) is a variation of Jerubbaal, with "besheth" (meaning "shame") replacing "baal" to avoid using the name of the pagan god.
Key verses
Gideon appears in 50 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi–ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:11 -
And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
Judges 6:13 -
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
Judges 6:19 -
And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
Judges 6:22 -
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah–shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi–ezrites.
Judges 6:24
Show all 50 references
Judges (47)
- Judges 6:11
- Judges 6:13
- Judges 6:19
- Judges 6:22
- Judges 6:24
- Judges 6:27
- Judges 6:29
- Judges 6:32
- Judges 6:34
- Judges 6:36
- Judges 6:39
- Judges 7:1
- Judges 7:2
- Judges 7:4
- Judges 7:5
- Judges 7:7
- Judges 7:13
- Judges 7:14
- Judges 7:15
- Judges 7:18
- Judges 7:19
- Judges 7:20
- Judges 7:24
- Judges 7:25
- Judges 8:4
- Judges 8:7
- Judges 8:11
- Judges 8:13
- Judges 8:21
- Judges 8:22
- Judges 8:23
- Judges 8:24
- Judges 8:27
- Judges 8:28
- Judges 8:29
- Judges 8:30
- Judges 8:32
- Judges 8:33
- Judges 8:35
- Judges 9:1
- Judges 9:2
- Judges 9:5
- Judges 9:16
- Judges 9:19
- Judges 9:24
- Judges 9:28
- Judges 9:57
1 Samuel (1)
- 1 Samuel 12:11
2 Samuel (1)
- 2 Samuel 11:21
Hebrews (1)
- Hebrews 11:32
Name variants & nicknames
- Gedeón — Spanish
- Gideão — Portuguese
- Gidon — Hebrew form
Notable people with this name
Gideon Sundback
Swedish-American inventor of the modern zipper