Jordan
Say it: JOR-dan
Boy and boyMeans from the River Jordan6 letters2 syllables
#179
in Ireland (2025)
#178 with spellings combined
27
babies in 2025
#20
best rank (1999)
3,214
babies since 1978
Up 2
10-year rank change
Jordan through the years
Compare with another name →boysgirls
Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #178 | - | - |
| 2024 | 37 | #136 | - | - |
| 2023 | 38 | #143 | - | - |
| 2022 | 56 | #112 | - | - |
| 2021 | 49 | #131 | - | - |
| 2020 | 42 | #140 | - | - |
| 2019 | 37 | #158 | - | - |
| 2018 | 38 | #157 | - | - |
| 2017 | 32 | #184 | - | - |
| 2016 | 25 | #218 | - | - |
| 2015 | 33 | #180 | - | - |
| 2014 | 31 | #190 | - | - |
| 2013 | 28 | #209 | - | - |
| 2012 | 24 | #233 | - | - |
| 2011 | 20 | #256 | - | - |
| 2010 | 16 | #284 | - | - |
| 2009 | 29 | #201 | - | - |
| 2008 | 37 | #173 | 4 | #751 |
| 2007 | 27 | #186 | 3 | #841 |
| 2006 | 31 | #158 | - | - |
| 2005 | 33 | #147 | 3 | #690 |
| 2004 | 60 | #98 | - | - |
| 2003 | 114 | #61 | 11 | #294 |
| 2002 | 171 | #42 | 13 | #267 |
| 2001 | 249 | #29 | 24 | #166 |
| 2000 | 315 | #20 | 31 | #132 |
| 1999 | 308 | #20 | 38 | #108 |
| 1998 | 270 | #22 | 36 | #103 |
| 1997 | 302 | #27 | 22 | #200 |
| 1996 | 217 | #39 | 19 | #212 |
| 1995 | 160 | #49 | 16 | #232 |
| 1994 | 102 | #67 | 18 | #212 |
| 1993 | 84 | #76 | 17 | #223 |
| 1992 | 46 | #110 | 15 | #249 |
| 1991 | 34 | #130 | 20 | #197 |
| 1990 | 32 | #132 | 10 | #303 |
| 1989 | 14 | #174 | 4 | #445 |
| 1987 | 5 | #249 | - | - |
| 1986 | 4 | #283 | - | - |
| 1985 | 3 | #304 | - | - |
| 1984 | 6 | #234 | - | - |
| 1983 | 7 | #226 | - | - |
| 1982 | 8 | #223 | - | - |
| 1981 | 3 | #322 | - | - |
| 1980 | 3 | #321 | - | - |
| 1979 | 3 | #324 | - | - |
| 1978 | 4 | #283 | - | - |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Jordan mean?
From the River Jordan
From the name of the River Jordan, Hebrew Yarden, through Greek and Latin.
Say it right
JORdan
The story of Jordan
Jordan is the name of the river that flows into the Dead Sea. The English form comes through Latin and Greek from the Hebrew Yarden. That word is often linked with a Hebrew verb meaning “to go down”, though scholars are not agreed on it. The country of Jordan takes its name from the river.
The river matters in the Bible above all as the place where John the Baptist baptised Jesus, and Jordan was already in use as a first name in the Middle Ages. Jordan of Saxony, for example, led the Dominican order in the thirteenth century. It is also an English surname.
In Ireland Jordan first reached the CSO list in 1978 and rose quickly through the 1990s. It reached number 20 in 1999 and again in 2000, when 315 boys were given it. In Northern Ireland it did even better, reaching number 6 in 1997. It has settled lower since, with 27 boys in 2025. Girls have used it too, with a best of 38 in 1999, but not in recent years.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Jordan (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Jordan (given name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan | 27 | 3,214 |
In Northern Ireland
#270 in 2025 with 6 babies. Best rank #6 (1997); 1,537 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.
Jordan is also given to girls: 304 since 1989.