Goran is a village in the Alexandropol uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Hamamli (Spitak) district, and currently in the Lori province. The provincial centre is located 30 km to the northwest of the Boyuk Garakilsa (Vanadzor) town, adjacent to the Chichkhan River, at the foot of Mount Chubukhlu, at a height of 1,850 m above sea level.

The village was initially inhabited by Azerbaijanis; however, the population gradually left the village following the settlement of Armenians in the district. Until 1937, it had been within the former Gugark (Garakilsa) district. The other names for the village are also indicated as “Gogaran”, “Goyarchin”.

The toponym was formed on the basis of ethnonym “Goran” of the Shahsevan Turkic tribe. It is an ethnotoponym.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 26 April 1946, it was renamed “Gogaran”. According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative territory of the Lori province.

Geographical coordinates: latitude: 40°53’ N, longitude: 44°11’E.