ENGLISH
REFERENCE

gordon

n. countable
A1 Beginner US //ˈɡɔɹdən// gor·don

n. a common English name for a man. It is used as a first name or a family name.

n. a masculine given name or surname of Scottish origin. It is a proper noun and is always capitalised.


SIMPLE

My friend Gordon is coming to dinner tonight.

CONTEXTUAL

The local library was named after Gordon Smith, a famous writer who lived in this town for fifty years.

COMPLEX

While the name Gordon was once extremely popular in the early twentieth century, its usage has declined significantly in recent decades as naming trends have shifted toward more modern alternatives.

Origin

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.

Usage

As a proper noun, it requires a capital letter and is typically used without an article unless referring to a specific family group.

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