Jordanes

Gender Masculine
Usage Late Roman

Meaning & History

The name of a 6th-century Roman author of Gothic background, who wrote a history of the Goths. His name is probably derived from that of the Jordan River. However, some theories [1][2] suggest that it could contain a trace of the Germanic root *erþō meaning "earth" (Gothic airþa, Old Norse jǫrð).

Related Names

VariantsIordanes, Iordanus
Other Languages & CulturesIordan, Yordan(Bulgarian) Jordà(Catalan) Joord, Jordaan(Dutch) Jordan, Jordin, Jordon(English) Jordan, Jourdain, Jordane(French) Yarden(Hebrew) Giordano(Italian) Jordan(Macedonian) Judd(Medieval English) Jordão(Portuguese) Jordan(Serbian) Jordán(Spanish)

Categories

authors, earth

Sources & References

  1. Förstemann, Ernst. Altdeutsches Namenbuch. Bonn, 1900, page 981.
  2. Withycombe, Elizabeth Gidley. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. Oxford, 1945, page 80.
Entry updated December 7, 2022