Jordan (name)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jordan
Pronunciation/ˈdʒɔːrdən/ (jor-den)
GenderUnisex (originally a male given name)
Origin
Word/nameHebrew through Greek
MeaningDescend or flow down
Region of originLevant
Other names
Related names
  • Jorden
  • Jourdan
  • Jourden
  • Jordin
  • Jordyn

Jordan is used as a given name as well as surname for people, with its origins in the name of the Jordan River between Jordan and Israel, which also gave its name to the country, Jordan. There are also other rivers named after the original river.

The form found in Western names originates from the Hebrew ירדן‎ Yarden, meaning "to go down", relating to the Jordan River flowing into the Dead Sea.[1]

According to the New Testament of the Bible, John the Baptist baptised Jesus Christ in the River Jordan,[2] and during the Crusades, crusaders and pilgrims would bring back some of the river water in containers to use in the baptism of their own children in Europe and Britain. It thus became popular as a first name.[1] The Germanic name Jordanes, which was the name of a 6th-century Gothic historian, may have popularised the name as well.[3]

The Greek form is Ἰορδάνης (Iordanes),[2] in Arabic it is Al-Urdunn, in Latin Jordanus, in Italian Giordano, in Spanish Jordán, in Portuguese Jordão, in German Jordan, in Dutch Jordaan, in French Jourdain, in Irish Iordáin or Riordan, in Romanian Iordan, in Bulgarian Йордан (Yordan) and in Catalan Jordà.

The English form of the name appears to have died out after mediaeval times, but started to be used again the 19th century, becoming especially popular in the U.S. and some other countries in the latter half of the 20th century.[3]

Jordan is used as either a given name or a surname. Until the late 1970s, "Jordan" was predominantly used as a male name in the United States, but later began to gain popularity as a female name as well. As of 2006, males accounted for 72.5% of people with this name in that country.[4]

Notable people and characters with the name include:

Christianity[]

  • Jordan of Bristol, saint venerated in Bristol, England
  • Jordan (Bishop of Poland) (died 982 or 984), first Bishop of Poland
  • Jordan of Clivio (died 1120), Archbishop of Milan
  • Jordan of Saxony (died 1237), Dominican master general
  • Jordan of Santa Susanna (died after 1154), French cardinal and papal legate
  • Jordan Catalani (died 1330), Dominican missionary and explorer
  • Raymond Jordan (fl. c. 1381), monk and author
  • Jordan of Pisa (also known as Jordan of Rivalto, c. 1255 – 1311), monk, academic and theologian
  • Samuel M. Jordan (1871–1952), American Presbyterian missionary in Persia
  • Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan (1848–1918), Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Salvatorian order

Nobility[]

Politics[]

  • Barbara Jordan (1936–1996), U.S. Representative from Texas
  • B. Everett Jordan (1896–1974), U.S. Senator from North Carolina
  • Christina Jordan (born 1962), British politician
  • Daphne Jordan (born 1959), American politician serving in the New York State Senate
  • Hamilton Jordan (1944–2008), advisor to American President Jimmy Carter
  • Jim Jordan (born 1964), United States Representative from Ohio
  • Leon Jordan (1905–1970), American politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives
  • Orchid I. Jordan (1910–1995), American politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives
  • Raymond A. Jordan (1943-2022), American politician
  • Ricardo López Jordán (1822–1889), Argentinean political and military figure
  • Robert Jordan (lawyer) (born 1945), American lawyer and former diplomat
  • Vernon Jordan (1935–2021), American lawyer and business executive
  • Wilhelm Jordan (writer) (1819–1904), German writer and politician

Music[]

Surname[]

  • Alexis Jordan (born 1992), American singer and actress
  • Angelina Jordan (born 2006), Norwegian child singer who won the 2014 season of Norway´s Got Talent
  • Armin Jordan (1932–2006), Swiss conductor
  • Benn Jordan (born 1978), American musician
  • David Jordan (singer) (born 1985), English singer-songwriter
  • Frankie Jordan (born 1938), French pop singer
  • Jeremy Jordan (disambiguation)
  • Leroy "Lonnie" Jordan (born 1948), founding member of American band War
  • Louis Jordan (1908–1975), African-American musician and songwriter
  • Montell Jordan (born 1968), American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer
  • Ronny Jordan (born 1962), British musician
  • Steve Jordan (disambiguation)

Given name[]

  • Jordan Terrell Carter (born 1996), American rapper-songwriter
  • Jordan Jenks (born 1993), Belizean-American rapper, record producer, and songwriter
  • Jordan Knight (born 1970), American pop singer (New Kids on the Block)
  • Jordan Kyle, American songwriter and producer
  • Jordan Luck (b. ca 1961), New Zealand musician
  • Jordan Maron (born 1992), American electronic music producer
  • Jordan North (born 1990), English radio DJ
  • Jordan Officer (born 1976), Canadian jazz/blues/country musician
  • Jordan Pruitt (born 1991), American pop singer
  • Jordan Raycroft (born 1991), Canadian singer-songwriter
  • Jordan Rudess (born 1956), American keyboardist (Dream Theater)
  • Jordin Sparks (born 1989), American singer
  • Jordan Waring (born 1964), American symphonic composer and banker
  • Jordan White (musician) (born 1980), American rock musician
  • JRDN (born 1978), Canadian musician

Literature[]

Surname[]

Given name[]

Modelling[]

  • Jordan Carver (born 1986), German model and actress
  • Katie Price (born 1978), British glamour model known as Jordan
  • Pamela Rooke (born 1955), British punk rock fashion model and actress known as Jordan

Science[]

  • Camille Jordan (1838–1922), French mathematician
  • Claude Thomas Alexis Jordan (1847–1897), French botanist and taxonomist
  • David Starr Jordan (1851–1931), American biologist
  • Denis Jordan (1914–1982), Australian chemist
  • Heinrich Ernst Karl Jordan (1861–1959), German entomologist
  • Henryk Jordan (1842–1907), Polish physician and philanthropist
  • Johann Christoph Jordan (died 1748), German writer on the history of the Slavic peoples
  • Jordan Peterson (born 1962), Canadian psychologist
  • Pascual Jordan (1902–1980), German theoretical and mathematical physicist
  • Thomas Brown Jordan (1807–1890), British inventor and mechanical engineer
  • V. Craig Jordan, British and American pharmacologist
  • Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) (1842–1899), German geodesist

Sports[]

Surname[]

Given name[]

Television[]

  • Charlotte Jordan (born 1994), English actress who has starred on Free Rein and Coronation Street
  • Olivia Jordan (also known as Olivia Jordan Thomas, born 1988), American actress and model
  • Sharon Jordan (born 1960), American film and television actress, recurred on Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
  • Tom Jordan (1937–2019), Irish actor noted for three decades of work on Fair City
  • Tony Jordan (born 1957), British television writer
  • Jordan Hayes (born 1987), Canadian television actress
  • Jordan Lloyd (born 1986), American reality television participant
  • Jordan Renzo (born 1993), American actor
  • Jordan Todosey (born 1995), Canadian television actress

Film[]

  • Michael B. Jordan, American actor
  • Neil Jordan, Irish filmmaker
  • Nick Jordan, British artist filmmaker
  • Richard Jordan (1937–1993), American actor
  • Jordan Ladd, American horror actress
  • Jordan Nagai, American actor who played Russell in the 2009 film Up
  • Jordan Peele, American actor, writer and director

Other professions[]

Surname[]

Given name[]

  • Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert, American professional Counter-Strike player
  • Jordan Mechner, American computer-game programmer and game designer
  • Jordan Misja (1913–1942), Albanian communist of Serbian descent, People's Hero of Albania
  • Jordan Ratcliffe, English teenager who went missing in 2008
  • Jordan Shanks-Markinova, Australian YouTube personality known as Friendlyjordies

Fictional characters[]

  • Jordan, from the Disney Pixar 2015 film Inside Out
  • Jordan Baker, in the novel The Great Gatsby
  • Jordan Black, the daughter of main character Frank Black in the American TV series Millennium
  • Jordan Cavanaugh, on the television show Crossing Jordan
  • Jordan Catalano, portrayed by Jared Leto in the American TV series My So-Called Life
  • Jordan Chase, motivational speaker from the TV series Dexter
  • Jordan Collier, one of the central figures of the 4400 in the American TV series The 4400, portrayed by Billy Campbell
  • Jordan Elliot, in the novel Beach Music
  • Jordan James Lewis, from the family sitcom Just Jordan, portrayed by Lil' JJ
  • Jordan Parrish, on MTV's cult television series Teen Wolf
  • Jordan Sullivan, played by Christa Miller on the television show Scrubs
  • Deanna and Amy Jordyn, minor American "reality TV" stars
  • Hal Jordan, superhero in DC Comics, better known as Green Lantern
  • Lee Jordan, in the Harry Potter franchise

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Jordan Name Meaning & Jordan Family History". Ancestry. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Iordanis Greek Name". Greek Names. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Meaning, origin and history of the name Jordan". Behind the Name. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Jordan as a first name or baby name". NamePlayground.com. 11 October 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
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