Gordon is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Gordon means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Gordon across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Gordon has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Gordon is a boy name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, from a place name”. originally a Scottish clan surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 155,579 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 362 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 6,336 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 6 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,171 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 1,444 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Gordon per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1952 (2,835/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1978 (430/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1976 (84/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (25/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (3/yr).
Gordon has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1952, when it ranked #240 nationally (given to 2,835 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1950s.
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