Find out how popular the last name Gordan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gordan.

Gordan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gordan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gordan in America

Gordan is the 12616th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gordan surname appeared 2,453 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gordan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gordan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gordan

The surname Gordan is believed to have originated in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name, derived from the small village of Gordon, located in the Scottish Borders region. The name Gordon itself is thought to come from the Old English words "gor" meaning "hill" and "dun" meaning "fort" or "citadel."

The earliest recorded instance of the name Gordan appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of parchment rolls recording the names of Scottish noblemen who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such nobleman was Adam de Gordun, whose name was recorded in these rolls.

During the Middle Ages, the Gordon family became one of the most powerful and influential clans in Scotland. They were granted lands in Aberdeenshire and played a significant role in Scottish history. One notable member of the clan was Sir Adam Gordon, who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

In the 15th century, the Gordons were elevated to the peerage, with Alexander Seton being created the first Earl of Huntly in 1449. The Gordon family held this title for nearly 300 years until the death of the 5th Marquess of Huntly in 1765.

Other notable individuals with the surname Gordan throughout history include:

1. Thomas Gordon (1691-1750), a Scottish classical scholar and author.
2. Lord George Gordon (1751-1793), a British politician and leader of the Protestant Association, known for the Gordon Riots of 1780.
3. Patrick Gordon (1635-1699), a Scottish soldier who served in the Russian army and rose to the rank of general.
4. Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), a British army officer known as "Chinese" Gordon for his service in China and his role in the Siege of Khartoum.
5. Armistead C. Gordon (1855-1931), an American lawyer and Confederate soldier during the American Civil War.

The surname Gordan has also been associated with various place names throughout Scotland, such as Gordon Castle in Aberdeenshire, Gordon's Cauld in the Scottish Borders, and the village of Gordon itself.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gordan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gordan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gordan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gordan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gordan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gordan, please contact us.

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