Jordan: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Meaning and Origin of: Jordan

Jordan is of Hebrew origin and means "flowing down." It is derived from the Hebrew word yarad.

Girl name origins & meanings

Hebrew : Descender

Girl name variations

Boy name origins & meanings

Hebrew : Descender

What does Jordan mean and stand for?

The name Jordan is of Hebrew origin and means "flowing down." It is derived from the Hebrew word yarad meaning "descend" or "flow down".

Syllables: 2

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

English, French, German, Polish, and Slovenian; Spanish and Hungarian (Jordán) : from the Christian baptismal name Jordan. This is taken from the name of the river Jordan (Hebrew Yarden, a derivative of yarad ‘to go down’, i.e. to the Dead Sea). At the time of the Crusades it was common practice for crusaders and pilgrims to bring back flasks of water from the river in which John the Baptist had baptized people, including Christ himself, and to use it in the christening of their own children. As a result Jordan became quite a common personal name.

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, as a boys' name, Jordan has been consistently popular, maintaining a spot in the top 100 for the last two decades, and only recently falling out of the top 50 in 2012. As a girls' name, Jordan fell out of the top 50 in 2003 and the top 100 in 2007. It is now in the mid-400s for girls.

However, it is the 30th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Jordan was at its peak popularity in April 2020.

Jordan was originally given to those baptized in holy water brought back by Crusaders from the River Jordan. Recently, it has become a popular unisex name, beginning to rise in popularity with basketball star Michael Jordan. Other namesakes of Jordan include Jordan Peele, Jordan Knight, Jordan Pruitt, and Jordan White. The name has also been chosen for various fictional characters who appear in Inside Out, My So-Called Life, Teen Wolf, and Dexter. Taylor Hanson, Dierks Bentley, Dr. Phil and Kenny Rogers have also chosen the name Jordan for their children.