Boy name · Scottish place name
Gordon
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: spacious fortGordon is a boy's name that comes from Scottish place name and means "spacious fort". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Spacious fort
- Origin
- Scottish place name
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #1052 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Gordon
As a boy's name, Gordon comes from Scottish place name and means "spacious fort". It is used in English and Scottish.
Gordon is also a surname: the 163rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 157,985 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Gordon on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Gordon on 3 lists.
“Organized, patient and never forgets a password”
From Funny computer names, funny names for a computer
“From a Berwickshire place meaning spacious fort; a northeast clan.”
From Scottish boy names, scottish clan and surname names for boys
“From lands in Berwickshire; later powerful in Aberdeenshire”
From Scottish last names, highland clans without Mac
How popular is Gordon?
- US rank in 2025
- #1,052
- 209 babies, 122 per million boys
- Best rank
- #70 in 1935
- Most babies: 2,829 in 1952
- Babies since 1880
- At least 154,909
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 456 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 823 per million |
| 1900s | 1,210 per million |
| 1910s | 2,044 per million |
| 1920s | 2,325 per million |
| 1930s | 2,409 per million |
| 1940s | 1,644 per million |
| 1950s | 1,273 per million |
| 1960s | 822 per million |
| 1970s | 399 per million |
| 1980s | 272 per million |
| 1990s | 181 per million |
| 2000s | 115 per million |
| 2010s | 121 per million |
| 2020s | 129 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #948 | #818 | #825 | #842 | #965 | #929 | #971 | #987 | #1,087 | #1,052 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Gordon
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- GidonFeller, hewer (Hebrew, boy)
- GöranFarmer, earth worker (Greek, boy)
- GoroFifth son (Japanese, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- ChesterFort, camp (Latin, boy)
- RahabSpacious (Hebrew, girl)
- VishalWide, broad, spacious (Sanskrit, boy)
Middle names for Gordon
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Scottish place name
- ForbesFrom Forbes in Aberdeenshire (Scottish place name, boy)
- KelvinFrom the River Kelvin (Scottish place name, boy)
- LennoxFrom the Lennox district (Scottish place name, unisex)
- MurrayFrom Moray (Scottish place name, boy)
- ArranFrom the Isle of Arran (Scottish place name, boy)
- AtholFrom Atholl (Scottish place name, boy)
- FyfeFrom Fife (Scottish place name, boy)
- IslayFrom the island of Islay (Scottish place name, unisex)
- LorneFrom Lorn in Argyll (Scottish place name, boy)
- MorayFrom Moray (Scottish place name, boy)
Gordon: common questions
What does the name Gordon mean?
Gordon comes from Scottish place name and means "spacious fort".
Is Gordon a boy or girl name?
Gordon is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Gordon come from?
Gordon comes from Scottish place name and means "spacious fort". Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Gordon?
Gordon ranked #1,052 in the US in 2025, with 209 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Gordon?
Names spelled like Gordon include Gidon, Göran and Goro.
What middle names go with Gordon?
Middle names that flow well with Gordon include Cedar, Clark, Henry, Jack and Lee. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.