Jordin

Jordin is an Americanized respelling of Jordan which is a gender-neutral given name derived from the River Jordan. The River Jordan is located along the eastern border of Israel and flows for about 150 miles through the Sea of Galilee and down to the Dead Sea. The river’s name comes from the Hebrew word “haYarden” meaning, quite appropriately, “flowing down”. Located in the Holy Lands, the River Jordan has always held significant symbolic meaning for Jewish people and Christians alike. For Jews, the river is a symbol of freedom since its crossing was the final step of Moses’ and the ancient Israelite’s return to the Promise Land after years of abject slavery in Egypt. For Christians, the River Jordan is sacred because it’s where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. During the Middle Ages, around the time of the Crusades, Christians would pilgrimage to the Holy Land and return with a jar containing holy water from the river. Children (male and female) who were baptized with this holy water were often given the name Jordan. Some of the earlier medieval versions of the name were Jordanis and Jourdain; while medieval English folk sometimes used the diminutive Judd. From an etymology perspective, one might think Jordan is the transferred use of a surname (a la Michael Jordan), when in fact it originated as a given name. Arguably, Jordan is one of the most successful unisex given names of all time. Versions of this name in other languages are: Jordanes (German), Jourdain (French), Giordano (Italian), Jordão (Portuguese) and Jordán (Spanish). Jordin is more or less a made-up American spelling.