Elif vs Jordan
Elif 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Elif was ranked #686 and Jordan #2574 among girls in England and Wales.
Elif and Jordan over time
Elif and Jordan appear together in 1 published list, across 28 years of shared records. Elif held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Jordan 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 Elif 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Elif held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Jordan in 10.
Highest recorded here: Elif #532 in 2019, Jordan #72 in 1998.
The order changed in 2006: Elif moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #1012 and #951; by 2006 that had become #753 and #1325.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elif #686, Jordan #2574.
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 | Elif | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | 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-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #396 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #90 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 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
- Jordan has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)); Elif does not have one recorded yet.
- Elif and Jordan both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jordan; Elif doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE.
How each name got here
Elif
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1031 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded2023–2025
Highest recorded position: #369 among girls in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 2023–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #396 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
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