Contents [hide]

Gordon History Etymology Spelling Variations World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Gordon Surname History

Origins Available:
Israel
Scotland-Alt
Scotland

Etymology of Gordon

What does the name Gordon mean?

With the pressure to have a fixed surname, Jews sought out interesting ways to name themselves. Some gathered at the synagogue and the rabbi opened a prayer book, the first word on a page was then offered to a family, and so on. Some took names from popular characters in literature. While others created matronymic and patronymic names with suffixes like -sohn, -ov, -kin, etc to denote “descendant of”. 1

The Jewish origin of Gordon is thought to be an East Ashkenazic name, but its source is disputed. Some suggest Gordon is a habitation name derived from the city of Grodno in Belaruss. Others point toward the Russian word for town, "gorod." Gorodin, then, means "townsman," which could have then become Gordin and Gordon.

Gordon Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gordon, Gordin, Godonoff, Gordonowitz and many more.

Gordon World Ranking

the United States, the name Gordon is the 143^rd most popular surname with an estimated 161,655 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Gordon is ranked the 163^rd most popular surname with an estimated 21,279 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Gordon is the 945^th popular surname. 4 Australia ranks Gordon as 115^th with 23,346 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Gordon as 92^nd with 4,177 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Gordon as 160^th with 33,469 people. 7 South Africa ranks Gordon as 584^th with 11,791 people. 8

Gordon migration to the United States +

Gordon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nicholas Gordon, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Edmond Gordon, aged 18, who landed in New England in 1635 10
George Gordon, who settled in Virginia in 1636
Daniel Gordon, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1651 10
Laughleth Gordon, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1651 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Gordon, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 10
John Gordon, who landed in Virginia in 1705 10
William Gordon, who arrived in North Carolina in 1707 10
William Gordon, who landed in Virginia in 1714 10
Ursillas Gordon, who landed in Virginia in 1714 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Helen Gordon, who landed in Virginia in 1800 10
John Gordon, who arrived in Virginia in 1800 10
Thomas Gordon, who arrived in South Carolina in 1800 10
Helen Gordon, who landed in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1800 10
Thomas Gordon, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Cameron Gordon, who arrived in Arkansas in 1905 10
Robert Gordon, who landed in Alabama in 1917 10

Gordon migration to Canada +

Gordon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Geo Gordon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Barnard Gordon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
James Gordon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
John Gordon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Gordon, who landed in New Brunswick in 1783
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Isabella Gordon, aged 6, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia aboard the ship "Commerce" in 1803
Donald Gordon, aged 40, a farmer, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia aboard the ship "Commerce" in 1803
Christian Gordon, aged 31, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia aboard the ship "Commerce" in 1803
Henry Gordon, aged 5, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia aboard the ship "Commerce" in 1803
James Gordon, aged 3, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia aboard the ship "Commerce" in 1803
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet

Mr. John Gordon, (b. 1760), aged 29, British settler convicted in London, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 9

Second Fleet

Mr. William Gordon, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Active" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 10

Third Fleet

Mr. Daniel Gordon, (b. 1740), aged 47, English settler convicted in Winchester, Hampshire on 5th April 1785, sentenced for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the ship "Alexander" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 10
Mr. James Gordon, British seaman on the Navy support ship for the First Fleet the "HMS Sirius" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788

Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Gordon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Gordon, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Robert Gordon, British Convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. Thomas Gordon, (Thompson), (b. 1775), aged 45, Irish seaman who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
James Gordon, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
Robert Gordon, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gordon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W Gordon, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Bernard Gordon, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
John Gordon, who landed in Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Mr Gordon, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Harrington 16
Mr. Gordon, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Harrington" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 15th June 1841 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gordon migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18

Gordon Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Gordon, who landed in Barbados in 1699 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Gordon (post 1700) +

Violet Ward Gordon (1916-2018), née Hill, American Lieutenant in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
Drew Edward Gordon (1990-2024), American professional basketball player who was a power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA)
Kim Althea Gordon (b. 1953), American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth
Richard F. Gordon Jr., American astronaut
Sonny Gordon (1965-2023), American NFL and CFL football defensive back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987, Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1989 to 1990 and Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1991
Bert Ira Gordon (1922-2023), American filmmaker and visual effects artist, best known for his work on The Magic Sword (1962), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Village of the Giants (1965), The Cyclops (1957)
Robert Gordon (1947-2022), American musician, best known as a neo-rockabilly singer
Larry Gordon (1945-2021), American singer, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, composer and conductor, based in Marshfield, Vermont
Noah Gordon (1926-2021), American novelist, born in Worcester, Massachusetts; his debut novel, The Rabbi spent 26 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list in 1965
... (Another 40 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gordon family +

Centaur

Charles Thomas Gordon (1908-1943), Australian Private who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
Mr. Leslie S Gordon (b. 1909), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Gosport, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 19
Mr. James Gordon, British Boy, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 20
Mr. James Gordon, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 21
Mr. Reginald Gordon, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 21
... (Another 12 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html