Gordon (name)
| Gordon |
| Family name |
| Related names |
de Górdún; Gordon (given name); Gurden[1] |
| Clan affiliations |
Clan Gordon |
Gordon is a surname with numerous different origins. The masculine given name Gordon is derived from the surname.
Origin of the surname
The Scottish surname Gordon may be derived from several locations.[2] One possibility is from Gordon, in Berwickshire. This placename is derived from the Welsh language elements gor, meaning "spacious"; and din, meaning "fort".[3] Another possibility is from a similarly named place in Normandy.[2] The English surname Gordon is derived from the placename of Gourdon, in Saône-et-Loire, France. This location is derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Gordus. In Ireland, the surname Gordon is of several different origins. One origin of the surname is from the Scottish surname, which spread into Ireland in the 17th century during the plantation era; in the Irish language this name is spelt de Górdún. Also, the surname Gordon is an Anglicised form of the Irish language Mag Mhuirneacháin, which is a patronymic form of the personal name Muirneachán. This personal name is derived from the Irish language word muirneach, meaning "beloved".[3] Another origin of the Irish name Gordon is as an Anglicised form of the Irish language surname Mórbhoirneach.[4]
The Jewish surname Gordon (Hebrew: גורדון Russian: Гордон) is likely derived from the city of Grodno. There have been numerous suggestions for the origin of this name. One tradition amongst some bearers of this surname claim that they are descended from the son of a Duke of Gordon, who converted to Judaism in the 18th century; however, this Jewish surname was in use long before the 18th century.[3]
The Spanish, and Galician surname Gordón is derived from places so-called in the Spanish and Galician languages. The Basque language Gordon is also derived from a so-called placename. Another origin for the Spanish surname is from the nickname Gordo,[3] which is derived from the Spanish language word gordo, meaning "fat".[5]
List of people with the surname
- Adoniram Judson Gordon, pastor in Boston, Massachusetts, and founder of Gordon College
- A. D. Gordon (Aaron David Gordon)
- Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870), Australian poet, jockey and politician.
- Albert L. Gordon (1915–2009), American gay rights legal activist
- Alexander Gordon (Sir) (1786-1815) Aide-de-camp to Duke of Wellington
- Archibald Ronald McDonald Gordon, former Bishop of Portsmouth
- Bart Gordon, American congressman
- Ben Gordon (born 1983), British-born American basketball player
- Bridgette Gordon, American basketball player
- Bruce Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Charles George Gordon, British general known as "Chinese Gordon" and "Gordon of Khartoum"
- Charles Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Colin Gordon, British actor
- Cyrus H. Gordon, American linguist-semitologist
- David Gordon (disambiguation)
- Dexter Gordon (1923–1990), American jazz tenor saxophonist and actor
- Donald Gordon (cricketer) (born 1990), English cricketer
- Douglas Gordon, Scottish artist
- Ed Gordon (athlete) (1908–1971), American long jumper
- Ed Gordon (journalist) (born 1960), American television journalist
- Edward Gordon (politician) (1885–1964), New Zealand politician
- Rabbi Eliezer Gordon, a Lithuanian Rosh Yeshiva
- Elye Gordon, Soviet Yiddish writer
- Eric Gordon, American basketball player
- Ferenc Gordon, Hungarian economist and politician
- Gary Gordon, American soldier, special forces, posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor
- Gavin Gordon (disambiguation)
- Geoffrey Gordon, American composer
- George Phineas Gordon, printer, inventor, businessman
- George N. Gordon, Canadian missionary
- George William Gordon, Jamaican religious leader and revolutionary
- Hannah Gordon, British actress
- Howie Gordon, Big Brother contestant
- Isabella Gordon (1901–1988), British biological scientist
- Jay Gordon, musician
- Jeff Gordon, American NASCAR driver
- Jeffrey D. Gordon, Pentagon spokesman
- Joe Gordon, American baseball player and manager
- John Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Judah Leib Gordon, Hebrew poet
- Juliette Gordon Low, Founder of the Girl Scouts of America
- Karl Gordon, British DJ and producer
- Kim Gordon, American musician, member of Sonic Youth
- Lawrence Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Lucy Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Marjory Gordon, American nurse
- Mark Gordon, American film and television producer
- Maxine Gordon, British actress
- M. G. Gordon, American businessman, inventor and social theorist
- Michael Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Mikalah Gordon, (b. 1988), American Idol 4 contestant
- Nathan H. Gordon, Motion picture executive
- Noah Gordon (b. 1926), American novelist
- Norman Gordon (b. 1911), South African cricketer
- Paige Gordon (b. 1973), Canadian diver
- Patrick Gordon (1635–1699) general of the Imperial Russian army, of Scottish origin.
- Philip Gordon, American diplomat
- Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (b. 1929), American astronaut
- Ricky Ian Gordon (1956–), US composer
- Robby Gordon, NASCAR driver
- Robert Gordon (disambiguation), several people
- Sid Gordon, American major league baseball All Star player
- Sue Gordon, magistrate
- Stuart Gordon, American director
- Thomas Gordon (psychologist), an American psychologist
- Tom Gordon (b. 1967), American baseball pitcher
- Wayne Gordon (boxer) (b. 1963), Canadian boxer
- William J. J. Gordon, American inventor and psychologist
- Willy Gordon, Swedish sculptor
- Yekutiel Gordon, disciple of Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
- Zachary Gordon, American child actor
List of nobility with the name Gordon
Fictional characters
- Commissioner Gordon, commissioner of Gotham City in Batman
- Barbara Gordon, first Batgirl, now the information broker known as Oracle
- Dr. Bruce Gordon, the original alter-ego of Eclipso.
- Melinda Gordon, the title character of Ghost Whisperer
- Meredith Gordon, biological mother of Claire Bennet, and Flint Gordon, Meredith's brother, from Heroes
- Flash Gordon, lead character of the Alex Raymond comic strip of the same name, and the movie, television, and comic books based on the comic strip
- Maggie Gordon, character in The Last Starfighter
- Gordon, The Talking Leg, character in Rocko's Modern Life
- Gordon, the first archer to appear in the series Fire Emblem
- Gordon the Gopher, puppet character from various British children's TV programmes
- Gordon, the pet devil of Ackman in Akira Toriyama's manga series Go Go Ackman and its video game adaptation
- Gordon the Big Engine, a fictional anthropomorphic tender locomotive in The Railway Series books by Rev. W. Awdry
- David "Gordo" Gordon in Lizzie McGuire
- Gordon Deitrich, character in V for Vendetta (film)
- Gordon Freeman, main character in the Half Life series
- Gordon Quid, character from Catscratch
- Gordon Robinson, from the popular children's educational television program Sesame Street
- Gordon Shumway (aka Alf Tanner), an alien from Melmac, and the title character of the sitcom ALF (TV series)
- Gordon Tracy, fictional character from Thunderbirds
- Gordon Walker, a hunter in the television series Supernatural
- Lawrence Gordon, fictional character in the first of the Saw franchise
- Tony Gordon, fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street
- Gordon, character in Edith Templeton's novel Gordon
- Gordon Gekko, fictional character in Wall Street played by Michael Dogulas
- Gordon LaChance, fictional character in 'Stand by Me' played by Wil Wheaton
- Artemus Gordon, a United States Secret Service agent in "The Wild Wild West" TV series
References
- ^ Reaney, Percy Hilde (2006), Wilson, Richard Middlewood, ed., A Dictionary of First Names, Routledge, p. 1378, ISBN 0-203-99355-1
- ^ a b Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx, retrieved 22 May 2010 . The webpage cited the following book for the given name "Gordon": A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192800507.
- ^ a b c d Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx, retrieved 22 May 2010 . The webpage cited the following book for the surname "Gordon": Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
- ^ Surname Search, Irishtimes.com, http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?, retrieved 22 May 2010 . The webpage cited the following book for the surname "Gordon": Ó Droighneáin, M.; Ó Murchú, M.A. (1991). An Sloinnteoir Gaeilge & an tAinmneoir. Baile Atha Cliath.
- ^ Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx, retrieved 22 May 2010 . The webpage cited the following book for the surname "Gordillo": Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4.