Gideon

GID-ee-un

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The name Gideon means “mighty warrior, feller of trees.” It comes from the English language tradition.

Gideon is a biblical name from the Hebrew meaning 'mighty warrior' or 'one who cuts down.' In the Book of Judges, Gideon defeated the Midianites with just 300 men. The Gideons International organization places Bibles in hotel rooms worldwide. The name conveys strength with spiritual depth.

Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Gideon comes from a Hebrew root meaning feller or hewer, glossed variously as smasher, one who cuts down, or one who has a stump in place of a hand; the mighty warrior gloss given elsewhere is stronger than what the sources themselves translate literally, though Wikipedia does connect the name to the martially skilled biblical judge Gideon.

Per Wikipedia, Calvinist groups such as English Puritans and French Huguenots adopted the name in the 16th century, when Old Testament names became common, with the Huguenots using the variant Gédéon; the name declined sharply by the 1930s, when only four newborns were recorded with it in Great Britain. Wikipedia also lists Gideone, Guideon and Gidieon as alternate spellings.

• Gideon (biblical judge and warrior)
• Gideon Sundback (Swedish-American engineer who perfected the zipper)

Sibling names that share Gideon's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.