How to say it
JOR · dan
/ˈdʒɔr.dən/
Unisex
Jordan
Flowing down
What it means
Hebrew Yarden, from yarad ('to descend, flow down'). The river where John baptized Jesus; pilgrims from the Crusades returning to Europe brought back Jordan water for baptisms and the name spread.
Jordan comes from the Hebrew Yarden ('flowing down, descender'), the name of the river that runs from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. The river's role as the site of Jesus's baptism made it sacred to Christians; Crusaders returning to Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries brought Jordan water back to baptize their children, and the river name became a given name. The English Jordan was masculine through the medieval period, flipped briefly unisex in the 1980s, then back toward masculine usage in the 2000s. Michael Jordan made the name iconic for an entire generation. The country of Jordan takes its name from the same river.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #40 in 1997, currently #584 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #26 in 1997, currently #131 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Michael Jordan is the inescapable American basketball anchor; the river and the country share the same root.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Michael Jordan NBA legend, six championships with the Chicago Bulls (Jordan as surname)
- Jordan River The Hebrew Bible's central river, site of Jesus's baptism
- Jordan Peele American filmmaker, Get Out and Nope
Spelling variants
- Jordyn
- Jordana
- Yarden
Names with the same feeling
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