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Gordon

Gender
Boy
Say it
GOR-dun
Origin
Scottish
UK rank, 2025
#3,329 for boys
US rank, 2025
#1,051 for boys
Style
Big in Scotland

Gordon is a boys' name of Scottish origin. In 2025 it ranked 3,329th for boys in the UK (6 babies) and 1,051st for boys in the US (209 babies).

What does Gordon mean?

Scottish: Scottish clan surname from a place name

From a Scottish clan surname taken from Gordon in Berwickshire; General Charles Gordon died defending Khartoum in 1885.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Gordon a girl's or a boy's name?

Gordon is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 boys in the UK and 209 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Gordon in the UK?

Rank in 2025
3,329th among boys
Babies in 2025
6 about 1 in 50,000 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 35% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 6 boys in the UK were named Gordon, making it the 3,329th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,185th. Its busiest year was 1997, with 85 boys.

2025 had the fewest boys named Gordon since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the boys named Gordon in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

Among boys in 2025, it was 4,974th in England and Wales and 762nd in Scotland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#82), 1914 (#54), 1924 (#39), 1934 (#21), 1944 (#44), 1954 (#51) and 1964 (#74).

1996Busiest: 85 in 19972025
Gordon in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
20256#3,329
202412#2,009
202312#2,024
202219#1,452
202116#1,619
202010#2,185
201920#1,351
201816#1,638
201714#1,822
201624#1,234
201524#1,202
201422#1,260
201326#1,112
201224#1,199
201118#1,433
201017#1,508
200926#1,086
200831#947
200724#1,102
200627#959
200536#766
200435#737
200338#646
200240#575
200130#673
200036#589
199950#478
199849#473
199785#334
199657#405

How popular is Gordon in the US?

Rank in 2025
1,051st among boys
Babies in 2025
209 about 1 in 8,200 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 17% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 209 boys in the US were named Gordon, making it the 1,051st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 965th. Its busiest year was 1952, with 2,829 boys.

Half of all the boys named Gordon in the US since 1880 were born between 1928 and 1959, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 2,829 in 19522025
Gordon in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025209#1,051
2024200#1,087
2023223#987
2022233#971
2021243#929
2020225#965
2019267#841
2018271#824
2017275#818
2016220#946
2015279#812
2014224#938
2013189#1,028
2012195#1,011
2011183#1,037
2010180#1,068
2009183#1,043
2008212#949
2007196#994
2006215#905
2005208#877
2004246#752
2003235#756
2002275#673
2001249#707
2000285#639
1999265#650
1998276#640
1997289#610
1996343#547
1995353#540
1994347#550
1993404#511
1992400#504
1991414#487
1990441#470
1989476#432
1988464#418
1987493#389
1986517#362
1985488#374
1984505#360
1983497#357
1982538#345
1981521#345
1980531#345
1979503#349
1978515#341
1977549#331
1976517#333
1975585#310
1974631#292
1973659#277
1972719#269
1971915#247
1970990#238
19691,012#226
19681,093#213
19671,115#207
19661,386#181
19651,444#178
19641,772#167
19632,080#159
19621,787#173
19611,994#165
19602,149#159
19592,212#155
19582,225#152
19572,464#140
19562,484#130
19552,557#128
19542,741#122
19532,781#116
19522,829#110
19512,759#108
19502,689#108
19492,546#113
19482,510#112
19472,671#111
19462,410#111
19452,146#109
19442,271#105
19432,608#98
19422,606#92
19412,404#92
19402,296#91
19392,508#82
19382,657#78
19372,533#75
19362,567#75
19352,615#70
19342,639#71
19332,524#71
19322,410#81
19312,396#76
19302,611#77
19292,493#79
19282,596#77
19272,680#74
19262,629#76
19252,748#72
19242,714#75
19232,576#76
19222,527#76
19212,382#84
19202,277#85
19192,017#86
19182,233#85
19172,019#84
19161,792#90
19151,717#90
19141,355#88
19131,017#94
1912822#93
1911404#97
1910265#119
1909230#121
1908196#129
1907199#120
1906184#115
1905165#134
1904177#119
1903142#131
1902109#161
1901103#153
1900137#151
1899107#145
1898110#155
189789#173
1896117#143
1895104#148
1894112#139
189383#172
189283#188
189171#181
189063#207
188960#211
188883#177
188747#230
188664#206
188548#237
188439#271
188338#263
188237#283
188132#276
188051#233

Nicknames for Gordon

Names like Gordon

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

William, Thomas, George, John, Robert, James, Joseph, Harry, Charles, David, Edward, Arthur

Names related to Gordon

Graydon, Geordan, Greydon, Giordano, Giordan

More Scottish names

Isla, Finley, Logan, Arabella, Cameron, Bonnie, Paisley, Brody, Carson, Maxwell, Brodie, Finlay, Blair, Lennox, Skye, Knox

Every Scottish name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Gordon: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gordon, updated 20 October 2026.