The Jardon 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, Jardon 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.
The surname Jardon 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]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jardon research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1641 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Jardon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
During an investigation of the origin of each name, it was found that church officials and medieval scribes spelled many surnames as they sounded. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, a name could be spelt numerous ways. Some of the spelling variations for the name Jardon include Jordan, Jordane, Jordain, Jordaine, Jourdan, Jourdane, Jorden, Jurden, Jurdon, MacShurtan, MacJordan, MacShurton, MacShurdane, MacShurtaine,McShurtan, McJordan, McShurton, McShurdane and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Jardon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape the horrific conditions. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Jardon: Stephen Jurden, who sailed to New England in 1633; Anthony Jordan who settled in Virginia in 1635; followed by Eliza in 1650; Jacob in 1649; Ann in 1655.