Adam vs Jordan
Adam and Jordancompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #20 and Jordan #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #35 and Jordan #213 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #38 and Jordan #404 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Adam was ranked #42 and Jordan #169 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Adam was ranked #89 and Jordan #51 among boys in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Adam was ranked #72 and Jordan #90 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Adam and Jordan over time
Adam and Jordan appear together in 5 published lists, across 186 years of shared records. Adam held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Jordan in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Adam reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Jordan in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2001, Adam moved ahead of Jordan in England and Wales · Boys — #20 and #18 the year before became #16 and #26.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Adam and Jordan changed places 8 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1985 and 2025, ending at #72 and #90.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 40 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Adam and Jordan averaged 19.8 places apart, ending at #72 and #90.
- Longest-running competitions
Adam and Jordan were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Boys for 40 years, from 1985 to 2025, ending at #72 and #90.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Adam #16 in 1996, Jordan #10 in 1997.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1997 they stood at #10 and #6 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 4 places apart; by 2024 they were #38 and #404.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys47 shared years, 1978–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Jordan in 0.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Jordan #20 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #20, Jordan #179.
New Zealand · Boys42 shared years, 1982–2023
Adam held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Jordan in 32.
Highest recorded here: Adam #13 in 1986, Jordan #7 in 1994.
The order changed in 2016: Jordan moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #81 and #95; by 2016 that had become #83 and #68.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Adam #89, Jordan #51.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys40 shared years, 1985–2025
Adam held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Jordan in 16.
Highest recorded here: Adam #10 in 1985, Jordan #14 in 1994.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Adam #72, Jordan #90.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Jordan in 5.
Highest recorded here: Adam #16 in 1996, Jordan #10 in 1997.
The order changed in 2001: Adam moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #20 and #18; by 2001 that had become #16 and #26.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #35, Jordan #213.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Adam held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Jordan in 1.
Highest recorded here: Adam #3 in 2001, Jordan #6 in 1997.
The order changed in 1999: Adam moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #6 and #6; by 1999 that had become #5 and #8.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Adam #38, Jordan #404.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Adam | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally understood as the Hebrew word for 'man', with a wordplay connection in Genesis to 'ground/earth', since Adam is described as formed from earth. | From the Jordan River, from Hebrew Yarden ('descend, flow down'). Crusaders brought water from the river to baptize children in Europe after John the Baptist baptized Jesus there. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈædəm/ | /ˈd͡ʒɔɹ.dən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #20 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #90 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Adam is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Jordan is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) origin.
- Adam and Jordan both have 2 syllables.
- Adam's recorded meaning differs from Jordan's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Adam
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #380 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2001 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #72 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Jordan
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #283 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #6 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys