Gordan
A masculine name derived from the Scottish surname "Gordon", denoting someone from the Scottish village of that name.
Name Census estimates that about 511 living Americans carry the first name Gordan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gordan today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gordan births was 1930 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gordan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
511
~ 1 in 670,752 Americans
Peak year
1930
24 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,249
Tracked since 1912
Census
Gordan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,049 people with the first name Gordan, which placed it at #12,023 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,023
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,049 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gordan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gordan is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gordan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gordan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 763
- Black or African American11.9% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 42
- Two or more races3.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 28
Popularity
Gordan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gordan from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 171 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gordan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gordan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gordan
The given name Gordan has its roots in the Slavic languages, originating from the Slavic word "gora," which means "mountain" or "hill." This name gained popularity in the Balkan region during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas like Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gordan can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts from the region. It was often associated with individuals who lived in mountainous or hilly areas, reflecting the name's connection to the natural landscape.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Gordan can be found in the "Miroslav Gospel," a medieval manuscript created in the 12th century in what is now modern-day Serbia. This historical document contains illuminated manuscripts and religious texts, highlighting the name's presence in the region during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gordan. One such person was Gordan Bunić (1472-1529), a Croatian poet and playwright who lived during the Renaissance era. His works, which included plays and poetry, are considered significant contributions to the literary heritage of the region.
Another prominent figure with the name Gordan was Gordan Žanić (1641-1718), a Croatian mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. He is best known for his work on algebraic equations and his collaborations with other renowned mathematicians of his time.
In the 19th century, Gordan Kornić (1853-1934) was a Serbian painter and art professor who played a key role in the development of Serbian realist painting. His paintings depicted scenes from everyday life and captured the essence of Serbian culture and traditions.
Moving into the 20th century, Gordan Mihić (1926-2015) was a renowned Croatian actor and theater director. He had a prolific career spanning over six decades and was widely recognized for his performances in numerous plays and films, both in Croatia and internationally.
Lastly, Gordan Kožulj (1969-), a contemporary Croatian writer and journalist, is known for his novels and short stories that explore themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of modern life. His works have received critical acclaim and have been translated into several languages.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the given name Gordan across various fields, from literature and arts to mathematics and sciences, highlighting its enduring legacy within the Slavic cultural sphere.
People
Gordan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gordan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gordan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gordan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 511 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gordan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 670,752 US residents.
Is Gordan a common name?
We classify Gordan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,026 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gordan most popular?
The single biggest year for Gordan was 1930, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gordan is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gordan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,049 people with the name Gordan, or 0.35 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,023 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gordan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gordan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gordan leans strongly male. 1,010 people counted with this name were male (96.3%), compared with 39 female bearers (3.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gordan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gordan is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gordan most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gordan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (763 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gordan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gordan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gordan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gordan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gordan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gordan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Gordan?
Want to know how many Americans are named Gordan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.