Ethan

Ethan meaning

Ethan is an international and Christian boy's name of Hebrew origin.

Permanent, enduring; ever-flowing, firm

Also used to mean: strong

Ethan is the Hebrew name ʾĒytān, which Strong's Concordance (H387) explains as "permanence". It is the same word as the adjective ʾēytān, used for a stream that never runs dry and, by extension, for anything lasting, firm or strong; that is why name lists give "strong" and "enduring". In the Bible, Ethan the Ezrahite is a sage whose wisdom only Solomon surpassed (1 Kings 4:31), and Psalm 89 is headed "a maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite"; another Ethan was a temple musician who played the bronze cymbals. The name is short, easy to say, and works well with Indian surnames.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), Hebrew, H387 (from H386) · entry אֵיתָן ʾĒytān · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's H387, Ethan (Bible Hub) · Strong's H386, eythan (Bible Hub)

Famous namesakes

• Ethan the Ezrahite, sage named in 1 Kings and Psalm 89

Popularity abroad

• #24 United States, boys 2025 (down 5 from 19 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #54 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Ethan · Eitan · Eithan · Etan

Related names

Also meaning strength

More names of Hebrew origin

Browse more like this