2000
#151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 57.43
Common Last name
Gordon
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "spacious fort" or "great hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 181,165 Americans carry the last name Gordon. That puts it at #163 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 52.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,892 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gordon surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gordon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
181K
1 in 1,892
Census rank
#163
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
52.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
158K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 157,985 bearers of the surname Gordon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 52.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 163rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gordon, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gordon
The surname Gordon has its origins in the medieval territories of Britain and France. It is derived from the Old French word "gu(i)erredon," which means "reward" or "recompense." This name was likely bestowed upon someone who had received a reward or land grant for their service or loyalty.
The Gordon surname is first recorded in the 12th century in Normandy, France. One of the earliest references to the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Gordun" in Huntingdonshire, England.
As the Normans expanded their influence in Britain, the name Gordon spread throughout Scotland and England. One of the most notable bearers of the name was Sir Adam de Gordon, a 12th-century knight who fought alongside William the Lion, King of Scots. His descendants established the powerful Gordon clan in the northeast of Scotland.
The Gordon family played a significant role in Scottish history, with members serving as nobles, statesmen, and military leaders. One of the most famous Gordon figures was George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (1514-1562), who led his clan in several battles against the English during the Rough Wooing.
Another prominent Gordon was John Gordon of Brightons (1544-1619), a Scottish Catholic priest and writer who was known for his treatise on the antiquity of the Gordon family. His work traced the family's lineage back to the ancient Roman times, although some of his claims have been disputed by modern historians.
In England, the Gordon surname was also associated with notable individuals, such as Lord George Gordon (1751-1793), a British politician and Protestant activist who led the Gordon Riots of 1780, one of the most destructive anti-Catholic riots in British history.
Other remarkable Gordons include Sir John Watson Gordon (1788-1864), a Scottish painter and portrait artist, and Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824), the renowned English Romantic poet often referred to simply as "Byron."
While the Gordon surname originated in Britain and France, it has since spread worldwide and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and nationalities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gordon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gordon, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gordon bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gordon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.0% · 96,294
- Black or African American29.2% · 46,070
- Two or more races4.3% · 6,861
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 6,483
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,248
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,029
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gordon
Gordon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161,833
+6,899 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 54.86
Rank movement Down 10 places
2020
#163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157,985
-3,848 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 52.86
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #151 | 154,934 | 57.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #161 | 161,833 | 54.86 | +6,899 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 10 places |
| 2020 | #163 | 157,985 | 52.86 | -3,848 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 2 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gordon surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #161 | #163 | -1.2% |
| Count | 161,833 | 157,985 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 54.86 | 52.86 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gordon bearers went from 161,833 to 157,985 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #161 to #163.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gordon
FAQ
Gordon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gordon?
Name Census estimates that about 181,165 living Americans carry the surname Gordon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,892 residents.
How common is Gordon?
Gordon ranks #163 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 52.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 53 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 157,985 people with the surname Gordon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (181,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 52.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 52.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 53 of them to have the surname Gordon.
Has Gordon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gordon went from 161,833 recorded bearers to 157,985. That is a decrease of 3,848 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #161 to #163.
What does the Census say about the background of Gordon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gordon, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gordon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (96,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gordon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.0%), Black (29.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gordon (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gordon mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "spacious fort" or "great hill." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gordon (52.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Gordon?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gordon is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.