Jordan
Originally a Norman personal-name surname, later associated by folk etymology with the River Jordan.
The #116 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,481 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Jordan comes from the medieval personal name Jordan or Jourda(i)n, which was brought into England by the Normans. Older scholars often connected the name with the River Jordan used in Christian baptism, but the sources here stress that it was already current as a given name in Norman usage. It is commonly explained as coming ultimately from Latin Iordanus, related to Hebrew Yarden, the name of the biblical river, though in surname use it functions first as a baptismal name and then as a hereditary surname.
History
The sources describe Jordan as an Anglo-Norman family name, appearing early in England in forms such as Jordan de la Roche and similar medieval records. Over time it spread widely as both a given name and a surname, and in some families it may also have been reinforced by Christian associations with the Holy Land and baptism. In English-speaking countries today it is common as a surname and also still used as a first name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source explicitly argues against the idea that the surname came directly from the river, saying it was instead inherited from an earlier Norman baptismal name.
From the historical record
“John atte Mor. — Hund. Rolls. Jordan de la Mor. — do. Adam del More. — Pari. Writs. Away then hyed the heire of Linne Oer hill and holt, and moore and fenn-e.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)