Scottish. The forename Gordon, which may be male or female, is derived from the family surname, itself derived from a place-name, probably meaning "hill-fort", in Berwickshire, Scotland [or possibly one in Normandy].

The use as a male forename is believed to have become popular after the exploits of General CG Gordon of Khartoum in the 1880s.

The name Garden, also male or female, appears significantly often in the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire. It is possibly a local variant spelling of Gordon. While both Gordon and Garden occur as female names in that Census, Gordon is predominantly male. Both these variants will be found by a Soundex search for Gordon.

Note: The family name, Gordon, is traditionally associated with the counties of Aberdeenshire and Baffshire in north-east Scotland.