Gordon

Meanings

1. A Scottish habitational surname from the Celtic languages for someone from Gordon, Berwickshire.
2. An English habitational surname from Anglo-Norman for someone from Gourdon, France.
3. A habitational surname from Irish, an anglicization 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 habitational surname probably for someone from Grodno, Belarus.
6. A male given name transferred from the surname.
7. A place name:
8. A village in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT6443).
9. A locale in Australia.
10. A suburb of Canberra; named for poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.
11. A suburb of Sydney in Ku-ring-gai council area, New South Wales.
12. A locality in Huon Valley council area and the Kingborough council area, southern Tasmania, Australia.

1. A Gordon setter.

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.