Judd

Judd began as a medieval familiar form of Jordan, a name associated with the river and a Hebrew root for descending. It later became a surname and returned to first-name use through that surname tradition. This explains why its relationship to Jordan may not be immediately obvious from its short modern spelling.

Actors Judd Hirsch and Judd Nelson and filmmaker Judd Apatow provide recognizable given-name bearers. As a surname, it is associated with artist Donald Judd and the musical Judd family. Those are separate kinds of naming inspiration: a family may value the older Jordan connection, an inherited surname, or a particular cultural namesake.