Gordon is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Scottish surname Gordon. It is uncertain if this surname originated from a place name in Scotland or in France. The Gordon in Berwickshire, where the family who bore the surname held lands in the 12th century, is of uncertain etymology. It is also possible that this place name was named after settlers from France, who were named after a like-named place in Normandy. The surname is thought to have been taken up as a given name in honour of the Major-General Charles George Gordon, a British army officer who was killed in 1885, in Khartoum.
The given name Gordon originates from a transferred use of the Scottish surname Gordon. The origin of this surname is debated. While it is considered to be derived from a place name, it is not certain that the place name of Gordon, in Berwickshire, Scotland is the origin of the surname. Berwickshire was once the home of Clan Gordon, and the earliest member of the family on record is of Richer de Gordun, who was lord of the barony of Gordon, in the mid 12th century. This place name may be derived from the Welsh gor, meaning "spacious"; and din, meaning "fort".
However, it is also possible that the Scottish surname originated from a place name in Normandy, France, and was brought over to Scotland, where it gave rise to the place name in Berwickshire. For example, the English surname Gordon is considered to be derived from Gourdon in Saône-et-Loire, France. Early records of this surname occur in England in the early 13th century (such as Adam de Gurdon, in 1204). This French place name is derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Gordus and the locative suffix -o, -onis.
The given name is thought to have been used in honour of Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833–85), who was killed at Khartoum.
The masculine given name can be represented in Scottish Gaelic as Gòrdan.
Gordon (slave), African-American slave & US Civil War soldierGordon Abbott, Australian rules footballerGordon Allport, American psychologistGordon Bajnai, Hungarian politician, ex-Prime Minister of HungaryGordon Banks (born 1937), English football playerGordon Bau (1907-1975), make-up supervisor for Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, CA, USAGordon Bell, American computer engineerGordon Brown, Scottish politician, the former Prime Minister of the United KingdomGordon Burgess (born 1935), president of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, USAGordon Campbell (disambiguation)Gordon Childe (the full name is Vere Gordon Childe), Australian archaeologistGordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (1903–1962), American baseball playerGordon Cooper (1927–2004), American astronautGordon R. Dickson, American science fiction authorGordon Downie Canadian singer/songwriter, lead singer of the Canadian band The Tragically HipGordon Frickers, English marine, aviation and landscape artistGordon Gano, American singer/songwriter/guitarist, lead singer of Wisconsin proto-alternative group The Violent FemmesGordon Getty (b. 1933), American, son of oil tycoon J. Paul GettyGordon Gore (1913–1987), American football playerGordon Gould, American physicistGordon Hayward (b. 1990), American basketball playerGordon Heuckeroth (b. 1968), Dutch singer and radio- and television presenter, under the name GordonGordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008), American, 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsGordon Hookey (b. 1961), Australian aboriginal artistGordon Howe (born 1928), Canadian hockey playerG. Gordon Liddy (born 1930), American, jointly organized the first break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate scandalGordon Lightfoot (b. 1938), Canadian singer-songwriterGordon Lish, American writerGordon Matta-Clark, American artistGordon McRae, Canadian professional hockey player, retiredGordon McRae (1921-1986), American actor and singer; born Albert GordonGordon Moakes, English musician, member of Bloc PartyGordon Moore, American businessmanGordon Murray, South African designer of Formula One race carsGordon Owen, English footballerGordon Parks, American photographer and film directorGordon Pask, English cybernetician and psychologistGordon Ramsay, Scottish celebrity chefGordon Schildenfeld, Croatian footballerGordon Scott, American actor primarily known for playing Tarzan in theatrical films of mid- to late-50'sGordon Slethaug, American professor of EnglishGordon Smiley (1946–1982), American race car driverGordon Smith (disambiguation)Gordon Strachan, Scottish football player and managerGordon Sumner (born 1951), English performing artist, better known as StingGordon Tietjens (born 1955), New Zealand rugby sevens coachGordon Remling (born 2004), American author and artistGordon Walker (disambiguation)Gordon Waller (1945–2009), Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist, known as "Gordon" in the 1960s duo Peter and GordonR. Gordon Wasson, American psychedelic writerPaul Gordon Georges (1923-2002), American painterGordon, soccer manager in the Bert DiariesGordon, character in Edith Templeton's novel GordonGordon, minor character in RentGordon, a character in School of RockGordon, the first archer to appear in the series Fire EmblemGordon, character in recurring Kids in the Hall sketch "Fran and Gordon"Gordon the Big Engine, from The Railway Series and Thomas and FriendsGordon the Gopher, puppet character from various British children's TV programmesGordon, The Talking Leg, character in Rocko's Modern LifeGordon, the pet devil of Ackman in Akira Toriyama's manga series Go Go Ackman and its video game adaptationGordon Bombay, the main protagonist of The Mighty DucksGordon Cole, David Lynch's character in Twin PeaksGordon Deitrich, character in V for Vendetta (film)Gordon Fleming, the main protagonist of Session 9Gordon Freeman, the main protagonist of Half-LifeGordon Gekko, Protagonist Wall StreetGordon "Gordie" Lachance, the main character from Stephen King's The Body and Stand By MeGordon Quid, character from CatscratchGordon Robinson (Sesame Street), from the popular children's educational television program Sesame StreetGordon Shumway, the extraterrestrial lead in the U.S. sitcom ALFGordon Szalinski, a character from Honey, We Shrunk OurselvesGordon Tracy, fictional character from ThunderbirdsGordon Walker, hunter in the television series Supernatural
