Judd is a medieval diminutive of Jordan. Jordan originates in Hebrew language and means "from a flowing river". It was taken from the name of the Jordan River in the West Asia flowing to the Dead Sea. In Christianity, Jesus was baptised in this river by John the Baptist. Jordan is also the name of a country in the Middle East, as well as the name of several places in the United States. It can be used as both feminine and masculine given names, currently it is more popular for boys in the United States. It functions as a surname as well, the famous bearer being the retired American basketball player Michael Jordan.