name
Common
Gordon
GAWDN
Gordon (name) means a Scottish surname, from the Celtic languages, denoting someone from Gordon, Berwickshire.
name
1
A Scottish surname, from the Celtic languages, denoting someone from Gordon, Berwickshire.
2
An English surname, from Anglo-Norman, denoting someone from Gourdon, France.
3
A surname from Irish, being an anglicised form of de Górdún ("of Gordon (Berwickshire)").
4
A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic], an adopted anglicization of Mag Mhuirneacháin (“son of Muirneachán”) (traditionally Magournahan).
5
A Jewish surname probably denoting someone from Grodno, Belarus.
6
A male first name that came from a family name.
"Often he wrote good ones on casual slips and fancied them his; names like Trevellyan or Montressor or Delancey, with musical prefixes; or a good, short, beautiful, but dignified name like "Gordon Dane". He liked that one. It suggested something."
— Harry Leon Wilson (1913)
7
The name of a village in Berwickshire, part of the Scottish Borders council area in Scotland (OS grid ref NT6443).
8
The name of a suburb of Canberra, Australia, named after the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.
9
A place name: A locale in Australia. A suburb of Sydney in Ku-ring-gai council area, New South Wales.
10
A place name: A locale in Australia. A locality in Huon Valley council area and the Kingborough council area, southern Tasmania, Australia.
11
The name of a river in Tasmania, Australia.
12
The name of a town in Victoria, Australia, named after early settler George Gordon.
13
A place name: A locale in Australia. A river in Western Australia, Australia; named for British statesman George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen.
14
A place name: A locale in the United States: A town in Houston County, Alabama.
15
A place name: A locale in the United States: A city in Wilkinson County, Georgia; named for railroad official William Washington Gordon.
16
A place name: A locale in the United States: An unincorporated community in Crawford County, Illinois.
17
A place name: A locale in the United States: An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kansas.
18
A place name: A locale in the United States: An unincorporated community in Letcher County, Kentucky.
19
A place name: A locale in the United States: A township in Todd County, Minnesota.
20
A place name: A locale in the United States: A city in Sheridan County, Nebraska; named for early settler John Gordon.
21
A place name: A locale in the United States: A village in Darke County, Ohio; named for an early settler.
22
A place name: A locale in the United States: A borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania; named for judge David F. Gordon.
23
A place name: A locale in the United States: A minor city in Palo Pinto County, Texas.
24
A place name: A locale in the United States: A town in Ashland County, Wisconsin; named for fur trader Antoine Guerdon.
25
The name of a town in Douglas County, Wisconsin, and of the census-designated place within it.
noun
1
A dog of the Gordon setter breed.
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Word forms
- Plural
- Gordons
Etymology
The main line, linked to Celtic names, traces this back to the Scots surname Gordon, itself from a place name, though the origin remains debated. If the English or Scots name comes from a Brythonic language such as Old Welsh or Old Breton, it may stem from a Proto-Brythonic compound like *gor ('spacious') plus *din ('fort'). If instead the Scots name came from English, it may derive from French Gourdon, which came from Gallo-Roman Latin Gordus, from Gaulish *Gordos. Otherwise, it may ultimately go back to Old English *gor-dūn ('mud hill'), giving a habitational name.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for Gordon
See all rhymes for Gordon →Frequently asked questions
What does “Gordon” mean?
The word “Gordon” means a Scottish habitational surname from the Celtic languages for someone from Gordon, Berwickshire.
How do you pronounce “Gordon”?
“Gordon” is pronounced GAWDN (/ˈɡɔrdn̩/ in IPA).
How do you use “Gordon” in a sentence?
Here is “Gordon” used in a sentence: “Mount, vassals, couch your lances, and cry, "Gordon! Gordon for Scotland and Elizabeth!".”
What part of speech is “Gordon”?
Depending on how it is used, “Gordon” can be a name and a noun.
Where does the word “Gordon” come from?
The word “Gordon” comes from Latin.
Is “Gordon” a common word?
“Gordon” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Gordon” have?
“Gordon” has 26 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a Scottish habitational surname from the Celtic languages for someone from Gordon, Berwickshire.
Where does the surname Gordon come from?
Gordon has two recorded origins. It is a Scottish habitational surname for someone from Gordon in Berwickshire, and separately an Anglo-Norman English surname for someone from Gourdon in France. Both are place-based names.
Is Gordon a Scottish name?
Yes, in one of its origins. As a Scottish surname, Gordon derives from the place Gordon in Berwickshire and is associated with a historic Scottish clan. A separate English line of the surname comes from Gourdon in France.
Is Gordon a first name or a surname?
Gordon began as a habitational surname but has long been used as a masculine given name as well. Turning a surname into a first name is a common pattern in English naming.
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