The Gordon in Berwickshire, where the family who bore the surname held lands in the 12th century, is of uncertain etymology.

The surname is thought to have been taken up as a given name in honour of the Major-General Charles George Gordon, a British army officer who was killed in 1885, in Khartoum.

[2] This place name may be derived from the Brythonic gor, meaning "spacious"; and din or dun, meaning "fort" (Irish: dún, Scottish: dùn, Welsh: dun, din).

[1] For example, the English surname Gordon is considered to be derived from Gourdon in Saône-et-Loire, France.

[3] The given name is thought to have been used in honour of Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833–85), who was killed at Khartoum.