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![Show Contents]() Jourdan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Jourdan name comes from the Gaelic Mac Siúrtáin. It was adopted by one a Connacht family who came to Ireland with the Norman invasion of 1172. Ultimately, Jourdan is derived from the name of the river Jordan, "Yarden" in Hebrew. The name first became popular in Europe as a personal name during the Crusades when it was a common practice for Crusaders to bring back vials containing the waters of this river to use in the baptism of their children. Early Origins of the Jourdan familyThe surname Jourdan was first found in Normandy where the name there was recorded as Jordanus as in the listing of Richard, Rovert and William Jordanus in 1189. 1 An earlier branch of the family came to Ireland with the "English invaders" in 1168 and at that time were known as De Exeter because they came from Exonia or Exeter in England. They accompanied Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in his invasion of Ireland, and acquired lands from King John the English King. In order to assume Irish patronymics, the name was changed to MacJordan after Jordan De Courcy (Jordan Teutonicus) who died in 1197. As to underline this origin, the learned Edward MacLysaght, noted "Mac Siurtáin A Gaelic patronymic adopted by the d'Exeter family-one of those which acquired estates in Connacht after the Anglo-Norman invasion; it was later called MacJordan's country." 2 Another Chief Herald of Ireland, O'Hart quotes: "The De Exonias or De Exeters submitted to be called MacJordans, from one Jordan De Exonia, who was the first founder of the family." The family rose to become Lords of Athleathan, in the Barony of Gallen, and County of Mayo. 3 Early History of the Jourdan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jourdan research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1641 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Jourdan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Jourdan Spelling VariationsDuring the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Jordan, Jordane, Jordain, Jordaine, Jourdan, Jourdane, Jorden, Jurden, Jurdon, MacShurtan, MacJordan, MacShurton, MacShurdane, MacShurtaine,McShurtan, McJordan, McShurton, McShurdane and many more. Early Notables of the Jourdan familyMore information is included under the topic Early Jourdan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Jourdan World RankingIn the United States, the name Jourdan is the 10,750th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Jourdan is ranked the 301st most popular surname with an estimated 13,304 people with that name. 5
 Jourdan migration to the United States | + |
Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Jourdan:
Jourdan Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Silvanus Jourdan, who landed in Bermuda in 1609-1610 6
- Silvester Jourdan, who arrived in Virginia in 1609-1610 6
- Samuel Jourdan, who arrived in Virginia in 1610 6
- Cicely Jourdan, who arrived in Virginia in 1611 6
- William Jourdan, who arrived in New England in 1651-1652 6
Jourdan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Solomon Jourdan, who landed in Virginia in 1700 6
- Salomen Jourdan, who landed in Virginia in 1700 6
- Jean Jourdan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 6
- Christopher Jourdan, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 6
Jourdan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Alic Jourdan, aged 37, who landed in Maryland in 1812 6
- Ellera Jourdan, who landed in Texas in 1829 6
- Antonio Alejandro Jourdan, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1841 6
| Jourdan migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Jourdan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- William Jourdan a stowaway, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "South Australian" in 1837 7
| Contemporary Notables of the name Jourdan (post 1700) | + |
- David Walter Jourdan (b. 1954), American author, co-founder and president of Nauticos, a deep ocean exploration company which has specialized on the quest for Amelia Earhart’s lost Lockheed Electra airplane
- Carolyn Jourdan, American author, known for her memoirs and biographies that have made The Wall Street Journal list of top ten bestselling books
- Theodore Charles Jourdan (1895-1961), American Major League Baseball first baseman with the Chicago White Sox (1916-1920)
- Ronald Lee Jourdan (1947-2014), American college and Olympic track and field athlete
- Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762-1833), Marshal of France; he fought in the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary wars
- Joseph W. Jourdan, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 11th District, 1875-77 8
- John Jourdan Jr., American politician, Postmaster at Lexington, Kentucky, 1802-13 8
- Alexander Jourdan, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in San Juan, 1864-67 8
- Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, French Marshall of the Empire during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
- Georges Jourdan (b. 1872), French individual épée fencer at the 1900 Summer Olympics
- ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Percussa Resurgo
Motto Translation: Struck down, I rise again
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SOUTH AUSTRALIAN 1837-1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837SouthAustralian.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 13) Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
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Jourdan migration to the United States 
Jourdan migration to Australia 
England
France
Ireland
