Jordan vs Roman
Jordan and Romancompared 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 · Boys
In 2024, Jordan was ranked #213 and Roman #32 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Jordan was ranked #169 and Roman #46 among boys in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Jordan was ranked #90 and Roman #50 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Jordan was ranked #51 and Roman #63 among boys in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Jordan was ranked #404 and Roman #108 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Jordan was ranked #179 and Roman #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2016, Jordan was ranked #4763 and Roman #4763 among girls in England and Wales.
Jordan and Roman over time
Jordan and Roman appear together in 4 published lists, across 77 years of shared records. Jordan held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Roman in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 2 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 4 of those lists, and Roman 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2010, Roman moved ahead of Jordan in England and Wales · Boys — #148 and #170 the year before became #197 and #195.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jordan and Roman changed places 6 times in New Zealand · Boys between 2009 and 2023, ending at #51 and #63.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jordan held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Roman in 15.
Highest recorded here: Jordan #10 in 1997, Roman #23 in 2021.
The order changed in 2010: Roman moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #148 and #170; by 2010 that had become #197 and #195.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jordan #213, Roman #32.
Republic of Ireland · Boys22 shared years, 2001–2025
Jordan held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Roman in 1.
Highest recorded here: Jordan #29 in 2001, Roman #134 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jordan #179, Roman #179.
New Zealand · Boys13 shared years, 2009–2023
Jordan held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Roman in 5.
Highest recorded here: Jordan #51 in 2009, Roman #43 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Jordan #51, Roman #63.
Northern Ireland · Boys13 shared years, 2008–2024
Jordan held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Roman in 6.
Highest recorded here: Jordan #152 in 2008, Roman #108 in 2024.
The order changed in 2020: Roman moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #178 and #312; by 2020 that had become #231 and #139.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jordan #404, Roman #108.
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 | Jordan | Roman |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | 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. | From the Latin Romanus, meaning 'Roman' — borne by several early saints and medieval rulers of Bulgaria, Kyiv and Moldavia. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) | Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɔɹ.dən/ | /ˈro.man/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #90 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #50 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jordan is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew (place name origin) origin, while Roman is recorded with a Latin, widely used across Slavic and Germanic languages origin.
- Jordan and Roman both have 2 syllables.
- Jordan's recorded meaning differs from Roman'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
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
Roman
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #333 among boys in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #23 among boys in England and Wales, in 2021 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #50 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys