Ethan
Meaning
"firm, enduring," from Eitan; in the Bible a sage whose wisdom only Solomon surpassed. An early-American favorite that returned in the 1990s and stayed; solid by etymology and by temperament
The story
Ethan comes from the Hebrew Eitan, firm and enduring, and in the Bible it belongs to Ethan the Ezrahite, a sage so renowned that scripture measures Solomon's wisdom by saying it surpassed even his. Early America took the name up, most famously in the revolutionary Ethan Allen, then let it lapse: for most of the twentieth century Ethan sat below the US top thousand entirely. The comeback registered in the 1980s, gathered force through the 1990s, and crested across the 2000s and 2010s near the top of the boys' charts. It probably did not hurt that Ethan Hawke was on movie posters and Tom Cruise kept saving the world as Ethan Hunt through exactly those years, though climbs like this rarely have a single cause. The etymology proved to be good advertising: even easing a little in the 2020s, the name has been every bit as firm and enduring as promised.
On record since at least 1738: Ethan Allen, Vermont leader.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ethan peaked in the 2000s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
2,511 people · the #4,404 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 83,333 · median age 2
Among people named Ethan living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 1,716 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Ethan
Most people given the name Ethan in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Ethan deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ethan truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ethan fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Ethan · Middle names for Ethan · Hebrew baby names
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