JORDAN
The Jordan Surname: Origin, Development and Historical Distribution
The family name Jordan is principally of Hebrew origin, deriving from the word Yarden which signifies “to flow down” or “to descend”. The term originally denoted the River Jordan, a prominent biblical waterway mentioned throughout the Old Testament, and consequently acquired a strong religious connotation.
In medieval England the name entered the onomastic repertoire as a personal name associated with the Crusades. Pilgrims and Knight‑Templars returning from the Holy Land frequently brought back water from the River Jordan for the baptism of their offspring, thereby popularising the forename Jordan. The Latinised form Jordanus appears in the registers of Bury St. Edmunds in 1121, while the variant Jurdanus de Brakenberge is recorded in the Danelaw Rolls of Lincoln in 1191.
As a hereditary surname the earliest English attestations include John Jorden of Cambridge (1202) and Walter Jurdan of Sussex (1327). Subsequent documentary evidence shows a range of spellings – Jordan, Jordain, Jorden, Jordens, Jordin, Jordine, Jordon, Jourdain, Jourdan and Jourdon – reflecting regional phonetic variation. The surname was borne by early settlers in the American colonies, such as Sislye and Mary Jordan, recorded at “Jordan’s Journey” in Virginia in 1623.
Although a heraldic grant in Wales depicts a silver field with a red chevron between three red greyhounds courant, the claim of descent from a knight named Jordan de Cantington, alleged to have accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066, remains unsubstantiated. The earliest firmly documented family name is that of Robert Jurdan (1182) in the Yorkshire “Book of Seals”.
In contemporary Britain the surname is most commonly found in England, where it has been assimilated into the English language and is borne predominantly by individuals of Christian faith. Its enduring popularity reflects the intertwining of biblical heritage, crusading history and the linguistic evolution of personal names into hereditary surnames.
Typical given names associated with the Jordan surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
Female
- Anne
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Jerdan
- Jourdain
- Jourdan
- Jorden
- Jordon
- Jordison
- Geordan
- Giordan
- Jurdan
- Jardan
- Jorda
- Jordana
- Jordane
- Jordano
- Gearden
- Geardon
- Geordon
- Gerden
- Gerdin
- Gerdon
- Gerten
- Gerton
- Giardina
- Giardini
- Giardino
- Giarratana
- Giarratano
- Giordana
- Giordani
- Giordano
- Giraudon
- Girden
- Girten
- Girtin
- Girton
- Jarda
- Jardaneh
- Jardean
- Jardeen
- Jarden
- Jardene
- Jardin
- Jardine
- Jardon
- Jaurden
- Jerdein
- Jerden
- Jerdin
- Jerdine
- Jerdon
- Joran
- Jord
- Jordaan
- Jordain
- Jordam
- Jordaney
- Jordanou
- Jordanov
- Jordanova
- Jordans
- Jordao
- Jordas
- Jordein
- Jordin
- Jordine
- Jordn
- Jorndan
- Jourden
- Jourdon
- Jurden
- Jurdin
- Jurdon
- Jureidini
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Jordan in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Jordan are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Fig Roll.
There are approximately 32,318 people named Jordan in the UK. That makes it the 242nd most common surname in Britain. Around 496 in a million people in Britain are named Jordan.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Jordan
- Michael Jordan - American basketball player and businessman
- Michael B. Jordan - American actor
- James Jordan - Dancer
- Faith Renée Jordan - American singer
- Dorothea Jordan - Irish actress (1761 to 1816)
- Chris Jordan - Cricketer
- Simon Jordan - Businessman
- Joe Jordan - Scottish football player and manager
- Ola Jordan - Dancer
- Jeremy Jordan - American actor and singer; born 1984
- Colin Jordan - Holocaust denier (1923 to 2009)
- Tony Jordan - Screenwriter
- David Jordan - Artist. Singer songwriter performer
- Sass Jordan - Rock singer/songwriter
- Jessie Jordan - Scottish born spy for Germany (1887 to 1)
- Andrew Jordan - Auto racing driver
- Stephen Jordan - Football player
- Patrick Jordan - Actor
- Elliott Jordan - Actor
- Bill Jordan, Baron Jordan - Politician
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.