Find out how popular the last name Jourdan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jourdan.

Jourdan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jourdan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jourdan in America

Jourdan is the 11965th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jourdan surname appeared 2,612 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Jourdan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jourdan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jourdan

The surname Jourdan is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin name "Jordanus," which itself is derived from the ancient Greek name "Iordanes," meaning "descending" or "flowing down." This is likely a reference to the Jordan River in the Middle East.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jourdan can be found in various medieval records and documents from France, particularly in the regions of Normandy, Brittany, and Languedoc. The name was often spelled in various ways, such as Jourdan, Jourden, Jourdin, and Jordain.

One notable historical reference to the name Jourdan is in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Jourdan, indicating that the name had already spread to England by that time.

In the 13th century, a French nobleman named Guillaume Jourdan de Lille (1200-1272) was a prominent diplomat and author who served as a chamberlain to King Louis IX of France. Another notable figure was Jean Jourdan (1322-1384), a French theologian and professor at the University of Paris.

During the Renaissance period, the name Jourdan was associated with several notable artists and intellectuals. Jean Jourdan (1495-1556) was a French painter and engraver who worked in the Northern Renaissance style. Jacques Jourdan (1558-1630) was a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets.

In more recent history, Camille Jourdan (1805-1872) was a French politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Finance under Napoleon III. Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762-1833) was a celebrated French military leader who played a crucial role in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

Throughout its long history, the surname Jourdan has been associated with diverse individuals from various fields, including nobility, religion, arts, sciences, and politics. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, the name has maintained its presence and significance across multiple generations and geographical regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jourdan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jourdan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jourdan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jourdan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jourdan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jourdan, please contact us.

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