Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɔːrdən/ JOR-dən |
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Gender | Unisex (originally a male given name) |
Origin | |
Word/name | Hebrew through Greek |
Meaning | "Descend" or "flow down" |
Region of origin | Israel |
Other names | |
Related names |
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Jordan is a given name and a surname.
The form found in Western names originates from the Hebrew ירדןYarden, relating to the Jordan River in West Asia. [1] According to the New Testament of the Bible, John the Baptist baptised Jesus Christ in the 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] Jordanes, 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 Russian Йордан (Yordan), in Romanian Iordan, in Bulgarian Йордан (Yordan), in Polish Jordan, and in Catalan Jordà.
The English form of the name appears to have died out after medieval 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:
Luke is a male given name, and less commonly, a surname.
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker, and is used as a British family name.
Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common.
Allen is a Celtic surname, originating in Ireland, and common in Scotland, Wales and England. It is a variation of the surname MacAllen and may be derived from two separate sources: Ailin, in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, means both "little rock" and "harmony", or it may also be derived from the Celtic Aluinn, which means "handsome". Variant spellings include Alan, Allan, etc. The noble family of this surname, from which a branch went to Portugal, is descended of one Alanus de Buckenhall.
Aaron is an English masculine given name. The 'h' phoneme in the original Hebrew pronunciation "Aharon" (אהרן) is dropped in the Greek, Ἀαρών, from which the English form, Aaron, is derived.
Corey is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a masculine version of name Cora, which has Greek origins and is the maiden name of the goddess Persephone. The name also can have origins from the Gaelic word coire, which means "in a cauldron" or "in a hollow".
Thomas is a common surname of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Dutch, and Danish origin.
Ryan is an English-language given name of Irish origin. Traditionally a male name, it has been used increasingly for both boys and girls since the 1970s. It comes from the Irish surname Ryan, which in turn comes from the Old Irish name Rían. Popular modern sources typically suggest that the name means "champion" and "little king", but the original meaning is unknown. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early and Medieval History at University College Dublin, "Rian, like Niall, seems to be so ancient that its meaning was lost before records began."
Austin is an English masculine given name, an Old French language contraction of Agustin as Aostin, Austin. Agustin is the popular form of Augustin, equivalent to Augustine. Variations of the name include Austen and Auston.
The name Hamilton probably originated in the village of Hamilton, Leicestershire, England, but bearers of that name became established in the 13th century in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire was named after the family some time before 1445. Contemporary Hamiltons are either descended from the original noble family, or descended from people named after the town.
Tyler is a given name that is gender-neutral but predominantly male, as well as a surname.
Taylor is a unisex given name mainly in use in English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. The name Taylor also has been used for characters on American and now some Australian soap operas. Variants include Tayla and Taylah; both are feminine and most popular in Australia and New Zealand, whose non-rhotic accents mean that they are pronounced the same as "Taylor".
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, or Alexis.
Crawford is a surname and a given name of English and Scottish origins.
Kyle is an English-language given name, derived from the Scottish Gaelic surname Kyle, which is itself from a region in Ayrshire.
Connor is an Irish male given name, anglicised from the compound Irish word Conchobhar, meaning "justice", "master of hounds", or "lover of wolves". The most prominent person with this name in medieval Ireland was the Irish king Conchobar mac Nessa, a semi-legendary king in Ulster described in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, and the name was probably first anglicised to Connor by the Hiberno-Normans.
Webb is an English and Scottish surname meaning weaver of cloth.
Jake is a masculine given name derived from Jacob. It can also be a nickname of Jacob and various other given names.
The given name or nickname AJ may refer to: