Cathair vs Jordan
Cathair 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 2000, Cathair was ranked #390 and Jordan #20 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Cathair was ranked #239 and Jordan #404 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Cathair and Jordan over time
Cathair and Jordan appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Jordan held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cathair in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Jordan reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cathair in none. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cathair and Jordan changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Boys between 1998 and 2024, ending at #239 and #404.
List by list
Northern Ireland · Boys27 shared years, 1998–2024
Cathair held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Jordan in 24.
Highest recorded here: Cathair #164 in 2004, Jordan #6 in 1998.
The order changed in 2024: Cathair moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #395 and #249; by 2024 that had become #239 and #404.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cathair #239, 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 | Cathair | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈd͡ʒɔɹ.dən/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Boys #239 (2024) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #90 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jordan has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)); Cathair does not have one recorded yet.
- Cathair and Jordan both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jordan; Cathair doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Cathair
Popularity journey
First recorded1998
First recorded at #207 among boys in Northern Ireland in 1998 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Northern Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #164 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #239 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2024.
Northern Ireland · 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