Behind the Name
the etymology and history of first names
Login   Register
Search

View Name: Jordan


JORDAN
GENDER: Masculine & Feminine
OTHER SCRIPTS: Јордан (Macedonian)
PRONOUNCED: JAWR-dən (English)   [key]
Meaning & History
From the name of the river which flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down". In the New Testament John the Baptist baptizes Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Germanic name JORDANES, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.

This name died out after the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. In America and other countries it became fairly popular in the second half of the 20th century. A famous bearer of the surname is former basketball star Michael Jordan (1963-).

Related Names
VARIANT: Jordon (English)
FEMININE FORMS: Jordana, Jordyn (English)
OTHER LANGUAGES: Jordanes (Ancient Germanic), Jordaan, Joord (Dutch), Jourdain (French), Giordano (Italian), Judd (Medieval English), Jordão (Portuguese), Jordán (Spanish)
Popularity
United States  ranked #46 for boys
 ranked #196 for girls
 
England/Wales  - 
Canada (BC)  ranked #62 for boys 
Australia (NSW)  ranked #63 for boys 
Belgium  - 
Chile  - 
France  ranked #165 for boys 
Ireland  - 
Netherlands  ranked #374 for boys 
Northern Ireland  - 
Scotland  - 
SEE ALSO
JORDÁN



Home About | Copyright © | Terms | Contact
Advertising served by SheKnows Family