Ethan Name Meaning

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The name Ethan is Hebrew in origin and most often means "strong," "safe," "solid," and "firm." These are characteristics seen in Ethan, "the Ezrahite," from the Bible. He is also viewed as being wise. It's a name with enduring strength and popularity, appearing everywhere from the "Mission: Impossible" movies to the well-known furniture chain.

  • Origin: Ethan comes from the Hebrew name Eitan and is featured in the Old Testament.
  • Gender: Ethan is most often a boy name.
  • Pronunciation: EE-than (English), EH-TAN (French)

Although many baby names are separated by gender, Verywell Family believes that sex does not need to play a role in your name selection process. It’s important to select a name that you feel suits your new baby the best.

How Popular Is the Name Ethan?

While the name Ethan has been in the top 100 most popular names in the United States for over 30 years now, and the top 20 for the last two decades, it hasn’t always held the same popularity. Ethan was a top 1,000 most popular names in 1901 but fell off the list. It remained off the list for over 50 years until 1952 when it reentered the list at #996.

In 2020, the most recent year data is available from, Ethan ranked as the 13th most popular name given to boys—a slight drop from previous years when it had come in at 10 and 12. It was a name given to 9,464 baby boys delivered that year.

Name Variations

There are quite a few variations of the name Ethan in other languages and countries, including:

  • Aithan (Greek)
  • Eitan (Hebrew)
  • Eytan (Hebrew)
  • Izan (Spanish)

Similar Names

Other boy names from the Old Testament include:

  • Aaron
  • Abel
  • Abraham
  • Caleb
  • Daniel
  • Elijah
  • Isaac
  • Jacob
  • Jonah
  • Michael
  • Noah
  • Samson
  • Seth

Other boy names that start with ‘E’ include:

  • Easton
  • Eddie
  • Edward
  • Eldon    
  • Elisha
  • Elliot
  • Elvin
  • Emmitt
  • Emory
  • Enrique
  • Ezra

Suggested Sibling Names

Potential sibling names for baby Ethan could be:      

  • Amelia
  • Avery
  • Benjamin
  • Camila
  • Charlotte
  • Cody
  • Daniel
  • Dylan    
  • Ella
  • Everleigh
  • Harper
  • Henry
  • Jackson
  • Norah

Famous People Named Ethan

With the name Ethan growing exponentially in popularity in recent years, it stands to reason there will be many more famous Ethans to come. But for now, there are a few notable figures (and even one notable brand) that hold this name:

  • Ethan Allen, a furniture brand, also a historical figure
  • Ethan Embry, actor
  • Ethan Hawke, actor

More Baby Names

Still searching for the perfect baby name? Check out these related baby name lists for even more options: 

1 Source
Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Social Security Administration. Get Ready for Baby: Popularity of a Name.

By Leah Campbell
Leah Campbell is a full-time parenting and health writer and has written extensively on the topics of infertility, adoption, and parenting. She is a single mom by choice and author of the book "Single Infertile Female."