Where did the Scottish Gorden family come from? What is the Scottish Gorden family crest and coat of arms? When did the Gorden family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Gorden family history?The ancestors of the name Gorden stretch back to a family in the Boernician tribe of ancient Scotland. They lived on the lands of Gordon, in the former county of Berwickshire, since ancient times. There is little doubt that bearers of Gorden came to Britiain with the Normans, and it is generally thought that they descend from the place named "Gourdon" in Saone-et-Loire, Normandy, but the oldest roots of the bearers of Gorden in Scotland may lie with the Boernician tribe of ancient Scotland. It is entirely possible that the Gorden surname was created from a pre-existing place name Gordon. It has been suggested that this place-name was originally derived from the Welsh (ancient Brithonic) words, gor and din, which mean "spacious" and "fort," and such, Gorden would be a type hereditary surname, known as a habitation name: one that is derived from a pre-exiting name for a town, village, parish, or farmstead.
Spelling rules only evolved in the last few centuries with the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries. Spelling variations are extremely common in names from before that period. Gorden has been spelled Gordon, Gordun, Gôrdon (Gaelic) and others.
First found in Berwickshire, where legend has it that they were granted lands by King Malcolm Ceanmore, successor to MacBeth, in 1057, thus placing bearers of the name in lowland Scotland, before the invasion of the Normans. The first Gordon on record was Richer de Gordum, lord of the Barony of Gordon in the Merse, who granted a piece of land and the church of St. Michael between the years 1150-1180, to the monks of Kelso. Adam Gordon acquired by Royal grant the lands of Coldstream on the River Tweed and his successors held these lands for many centuries.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gorden research. Another 405 words(29 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1449, 1594, 1619, 1761, 1514, 1562, 1546, 1st , 1610, 1644, 1609, 1679, 1632 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Gorden History in all our PDF Extended History products.
Another 149 words(11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gorden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the Gorden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 141 words(10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products.
After making their great crossing, many Boernician-Scottish families settled along the east coast of North America. When the War of Independence broke out, United Empire Loyalists moved north to Canada while the rest stayed to fight. The ancestors of many of these Scots still populate the continent. This century, through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations, they began to rediscover their collective national heritage. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gorden or a variant listed above:
Gorden Settlers in the United States in the 17th Century
Gorden Settlers in the United States in the 18th Century
Gorden Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century
Gorden Settlers in the United States in the 20th Century
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.