| Zion | Jordan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | highest point; the holy hill of Jerusalem | To flow down, descend |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | ZY-un | JOR-dan |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1917 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2023 (2,889) | 1990 (16,137) |
| In 2025 | 2,496 | 2,732 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Zion | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 15,693 | 21,955 |
| 2010s | 17,789 | 64,530 |
| 2000s | 11,635 | 101,187 |
| 1990s | 1,605 | 144,756 |
| 1980s | 86 | 57,172 |
| 1970s | 57 | 5,449 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,851 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,189 |
| 1940s | 0 | 690 |
| 1930s | 0 | 770 |
| 1920s | 0 | 854 |
| 1910s | 6 | 395 |
| 1900s | 0 | 123 |
| 1890s | 0 | 117 |
| 1880s | 0 | 158 |
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.
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.
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.
Zion means highest point; the holy hill of Jerusalem (hebrew origin), while Jordan means To flow down, descend (hebrew origin).
In US records, Zion first appears in 1917 and Jordan in 1880, so Jordan has the longer recorded history.