| Jordan | Zion | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | To flow down, descend | highest point; the holy hill of Jerusalem |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | JOR-dan | ZY-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1917 |
| Peak year | 1990 (16,137) | 2023 (2,889) |
| In 2025 | 2,732 | 2,496 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Jordan | Zion |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 21,955 | 15,693 |
| 2010s | 64,530 | 17,789 |
| 2000s | 101,187 | 11,635 |
| 1990s | 144,756 | 1,605 |
| 1980s | 57,172 | 86 |
| 1970s | 5,449 | 57 |
| 1960s | 1,851 | 0 |
| 1950s | 1,189 | 0 |
| 1940s | 690 | 0 |
| 1930s | 770 | 0 |
| 1920s | 854 | 0 |
| 1910s | 395 | 6 |
| 1900s | 123 | 0 |
| 1890s | 117 | 0 |
| 1880s | 158 | 0 |
From the River Jordan, Hebrew Yarden, derived from the root y-r-d 'to go down, descend, flow down' - describing the river's descent. Long used as a given name, originally for those baptised in or with water from the Jordan.
From Hebrew 'Tziyyon', the name of a hill in Jerusalem that came to stand for the city, the Promised Land and a place of peace. A long-standing biblical/geographic name now popular as a given name.
Jordan is more popular than Zion today: about 2,732 US babies were given the name Jordan in 2025, compared with 2,496 named Zion.
Jordan means To flow down, descend (hebrew origin), while Zion means highest point; the holy hill of Jerusalem (hebrew origin).
In US records, Jordan first appears in 1880 and Zion in 1917, so Jordan has the longer recorded history.