Jourdain
/ʒuʁ.dɛ̃/noun
A French surname and given name derived from the biblical name Jordan.
Did you know?In medieval English, Jordan became “jordan,” a term for a chamber pot, likely because pilgrims brought back vessels associated with water from the Jordan River.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*yardan
“To descend or flow downward”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
יַרְדֵּן (Yardēn)
“The Jordan River, literally associated with descending waters”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἰορδάνης (Iordánēs)
“The Jordan River”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Iordanis
“The Jordan River and its biblical name”
Middle Ages
Old French
Jourdain
“Jordan; also used as a personal name”
14th Century
Middle English
jordan
“A personal name and, later, a chamber pot”
Modern English
English
Jourdain
“A French surname or given name”