Namewise

Jordan

maleBiblical Hebrew (place name origin)

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 (place name origin)

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1978 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #6 in Northern Ireland in 1998. See regions.

Jordan: Recorded every year since 1978, it reached #6 in 1997, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

JOR-dun/ˈd͡ʒɔɹ.dən/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (6) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)
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.
Pronunciation
JOR-dun
Syllables
2
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
male
Language family
Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)

Popularity

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Girls rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #72 to #4838.19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142016201720182019202020212022202320242025#72#4838
View as table
England and Wales · Girls rank by year
YearRank
1996#126
1997#103
1998#72
1999#78
2000#85
2001#95
2002#215
2003#299
2004#581
2005#951
2006#1325
2007#1443
2008#1718
2009#1837
2010#4012
2011#3185
2012#4838
2013#4739
2014#3514
2016#4763
2017#2925
2018#3178
2019#3541
2020#3447
2021#1866
2022#2888
2023#4056
2024#2574
2025#4201

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 47 of the 48 years from 1978 to 2025.

In 2025: #90 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, #179 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #248 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 19782025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #4201 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

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.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Biblical Hebrew (place name origin)

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Jordan is officially recorded

6 official registrars have recorded Jordan, between 1978 and 2025. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Republic of Ireland1978–202547#20 in 1999
New Zealand1982–202342#7 in 1994
New South Wales, Australia1985–202540#14 in 1994
England and Wales1996–202530#10 in 1997
Northern Ireland1997–202428#6 in 1997
Scotland20241#169 in 2024

Its high point came 30 years earlier in New Zealand (1994) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

JOR-dun/ˈd͡ʒɔɹ.dən/
Syllables
2
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Jordan Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Jordan in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.