US Name Trends

Gordon

A Scottish place name and clan surname, of uncertain Gaelic origin.

1952peak year
No. 70best rank (1935)
155,579babies since 1880
outside top 1000 in 2025

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Gordon per year — peak 2,829▬ girls ▬ boys18801900192019401960198020002020

Gordon appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1911 to 1943. Its biggest year was 1952, when 2,829 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 110 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1935, at No. 70. All told, 155,579 Americans have been given the name since 1880.

Related names

Other spellings on record: Gorden (2,049), Gordan (1,025) (total births since 1880)

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By the decade

DecadeBirthsBest rank
1880s499No. 177
1890s939No. 139
1900s1,642No. 115
1910s13,641No. 84
1920s25,622No. 72
1930s25,460No. 70
1940s24,468No. 91
1950s25,741No. 108
1960s15,832No. 159
1970s6,583No. 238
1980s5,030No. 345
1990s3,532No. 471
2000s2,304No. 639
2010s2,283No. 812
2020s1,333No. 929

Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.

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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.