Gordon
See also: gordon
English
Etymology
The main etymology, associated with Celtic names, is from the Scots surname Gordon, from a place name, but the origin is debated:
- If the English or Scots name is from a Brythonic language (such as Old Welsh or Old Breton), then possibly from a Proto-Brythonic compound such as *gor (“spacious”) + *din (“fort”);
- If the Scots name is itself from English, then possibly from French Gourdon, derived from Gallo-Roman Latin Gordus, from Gaulish *Gordos;
- Otherwise, possibly ultimately from Old English *gor-dūn (“mud hill”) whence a habitational name.
(Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɡɔrdn̩/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɡɔːdn̩/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)dən
Proper noun
Gordon
- A Scottish habitational surname from the Celtic languages for someone from Gordon, Berwickshire.
- An English habitational surname from Anglo-Norman for someone from Gourdon, France.
- A habitational surname from Irish, an anglicization of de Górdún (“of Gordon (Berwickshire)”).
- A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic], an adopted anglicization of Mag Mhuirneacháin (“son of Muirneachán”) (traditionally Magournahan).
- A Jewish habitational surname probably for someone from Grodno, Belarus.
- 1822 Walter Scott, Poetical Works: Halidon Hill (Baudry's European Library, 1838), page 420:
- Mount, vassals, couch your lances, and cry, "Gordon!
- Gordon for Scotland and Elizabeth!"
- 1822 Walter Scott, Poetical Works: Halidon Hill (Baudry's European Library, 1838), page 420:
- A male given name transferred from the surname.
- 1913, Harry Leon Wilson, Bunker Bean, BiblioBazaar, LLC, published 2008, →ISBN, page 13:
- 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.
- A place name:
- A village in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT6443).
- A locale in Australia.
- A suburb of Canberra; named for poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.
- A suburb of Sydney; probably named for British Army officer James Willoughby Gordon.
- A town in Victoria; named for early settler George Gordon.
- A river in Tasmania, Australia.
- A river in Western Australia, Australia; named for British statesman George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen.
- A locale in the United States:
- A town in Houston County, Alabama.
- A city in Wilkinson County, Georgia; named for railroad official William Washington Gordon.
- An unincorporated community in Crawford County, Illinois.
- An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kansas.
- An unincorporated community in Letcher County, Kentucky.
- A township in Todd County, Minnesota.
- A city in Sheridan County, Nebraska; named for early settler John Gordon.
- A village in Darke County, Ohio; named for an early settler.
- A borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania; named for judge David F. Gordon.
- A minor city in Palo Pinto County, Texas.
- A town in Ashland County, Wisconsin; named for fur trader Antoine Guerdon.
- A town and census-designated place therein, in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
Usage notes
The given name was popular in the UK in the first half of the 20th century.
Alternative forms
- (given name): Gorden
Derived terms
- Gordon County
- Gordon Hill
- Gordon syndrome
- Portgordon, Port Gordon
- sine-Gordon equation
- (given name diminutives): Gord, Gordie, Gordy, Gordo
Statistics
- According to the 2010 United States Census, Gordon is the 161st most common surname in the United States, belonging to 161,833 individuals. Gordon is most common among White (64.25%) and Black (29.15%) individuals.
Noun
Gordon (plural Gordons)
References
- Reaney & Wilson: A Dictionary of English Surnames, OUP 1997
- ‘Gordon’ in Behind the Name, Mike Campbell, 1996.
Anagrams
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈɡordon]
Proper noun
Gordon m anim (female equivalent Gordonová)
- a male surname
Declension
Declension of Gordon (hard masculine animate)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Gordon | Gordonové |
| genitive | Gordona | Gordonů |
| dative | Gordonovi | Gordonům |
| accusative | Gordona | Gordony |
| vocative | Gordone | Gordonové |
| locative | Gordonovi | Gordonech |
| instrumental | Gordonem | Gordony |
Further reading
- “Gordon”, in Příjmení.cz (in Czech)
Polish
Etymology
From the personal name Gordian (from Latin Gordianus). Alternatively, from an East Slavic word meaning "proud", e.g. Ukrainian гордий (hordyj), Belarusian горды (hórdy), Russian гордый (gordyj).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡɔr.dɔn/
- Rhymes: -ɔrdɔn
- Syllabification: Gor‧don
Proper noun
Gordon m pers
Declension
Declension of Gordon
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Gordon | Gordonowie |
| genitive | Gordona | Gordonów |
| dative | Gordonowi | Gordonom |
| accusative | Gordona | Gordonów |
| instrumental | Gordonem | Gordonami |
| locative | Gordonie | Gordonach |
| vocative | Gordonie | Gordonowie |
Proper noun
Gordon f (indeclinable)
- a female surname
Scots
Etymology
Proper noun
Gordon