Etymology

Jordan is named after the Jordan River, where Jesus is said to have been baptized. The origin of the river's name is debated, but the most common explanation is that it derives from the word "yarad" (the descender, "Yarden" is the Hebrew name for the river), found in Hebrew, Aramaic, and other Semitic languages. Others regard the name as having an Indo-Aryan origin, combining the words "yor" (year) and "don" (river), reflecting the river's perennial nature. Another theory is that it is from the Arabic root word "wrd" (to come to), as in people coming to a major source of water.^[19]
The name Jordan appears in an ancient Egyptian papyrus called Papyrus Anastasi I, dating back to around 1000 BC.^[20] The lands of modern-day Jordan were historically called "Transjordan", meaning "beyond the Jordan River". The name was Arabized into "Al-Urdunn" during the Muslim conquest of the Levant. During crusader rule, it was called "Oultrejordain". In 1921, the Emirate of Transjordan was established and after it gained its independence in 1946, it became "The Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan". The name was changed in 1949 into "The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan". "Hashemite" is the house name of the royal family.^[21]