Gordon
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name transferred from the surname. 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.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Gordon (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Gordon has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2004. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | 11 |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | – |
| 2004 | 12 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2008 | 10 |
| 2009 | 7 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 9 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | – |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 5 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 230 |
| 2000 | 240 |
| 2001 | 254 |
| 2002 | 259 |
| 2003 | 266 |
| 2004 | 279 |
| 2005 | 284 |
| 2006 | 293 |
| 2007 | 304 |
| 2008 | 314 |
| 2009 | 330 |
| 2010 | 331 |
| 2011 | 339 |
| 2012 | 342 |
| 2013 | 351 |
| 2014 | 346 |
| 2015 | 352 |
| 2016 | 358 |
| 2017 | 368 |
| 2018 | 374 |
| 2019 | 377 |
| 2020 | 378 |
Gordon in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Gordon.Hi! My name is Gordon.
- Har du träffat Gordon? Han började jobba här i måndags.Have you met Gordon? He started working here on Monday.
- Gordon har bott i Uppsala i tre år.Gordon has lived in Uppsala for three years.
- Gordons mamma är lärare.Gordon's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Gordons mamma is Gordon's mum.
More names
Questions about Gordon
How do you pronounce Gordon in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Gordon in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Gordon mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name transferred from the surname. 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.
How popular is Gordon in Sweden?
5 babies were named Gordon in 2022. In 2020, 378 people in Sweden had Gordon as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 2004 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.