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Jordan Family History

Jordan Surname Meaning

English, German, French (mainly Alsace and Haute-Savoie), Polish, Czech, and Slovenian; Spanish and Hungarian (Jordán): from the Christian personal name or nickname Jordan.

This is taken from the name of the river Jordan (Hebrew Yarden, a derivative of yarad ‘to go down’, i.e. to the Dead Sea).

At the time of the Crusades, it was a common practice for crusaders and pilgrims to bring back flasks of water from the river in which John the Baptist had baptized people, including Christ himself, and to use it in the christening of their own children.

As a result, Jordan became quite a common personal name.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Jordan family from?

You can see how Jordan families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Jordan family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Jordan families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,181 Jordan families living in London. This was about 16% of all the recorded Jordan's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Jordan families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Jordan surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Jordan ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Jordan. 8% of Jordan men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Jordan women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Jordan were Incapacitated and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Jordan | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    4%
  • Gardener
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    66%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Jordan family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 850,000 census records available for the last name Jordan. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Jordan census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Jordan

Passenger Lists

There are 84,000 immigration records available for the last name Jordan. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Jordan immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 192,000 military records available for the last name Jordan. For the veterans among your Jordan ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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