Japheth
Japheth of Hebrew origin means "he enlarges, he expands".
Name Census estimates that about 1,324 living Americans carry the first name Japheth. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Japheth today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Japheth births was 2007 (51 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Japheth. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 258,878 Americans
Peak year
2007
51 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,236
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Japheth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Japheth from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 361 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Japheth remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Japheth by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Japheth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Japheths live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, Indiana recorded the most babies named Japheth, while Virginia, New York, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Japheth
The name Japheth is a biblical name that originates from the Hebrew language. It is derived from the Hebrew root word "yafah," which means "to be fair" or "to be beautiful." The name was first mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where Japheth was one of the three sons of Noah, along with Shem and Ham.
In the biblical account, Japheth and his brothers were responsible for repopulating the earth after the Great Flood. The name Japheth is associated with the descendants of Noah who are believed to have settled in the regions of Europe, Asia Minor, and parts of the Middle East.
The name Japheth has a rich historical significance in various cultures and religious traditions. In Greek mythology, Japheth was known as Iapetos, one of the Titans who fought against the Olympian gods. In the Islamic tradition, Japheth is referred to as Yafith, and he is mentioned in the Qur'an as one of the sons of Noah.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Japheth can be found in the Bible, where he is mentioned as the son of Noah. However, there are few historical figures with this name throughout the centuries.
One notable person named Japheth was Japheth ben Eli, a Jewish scholar and commentator who lived in the 11th century. He wrote extensively on the Talmud and Jewish law.
Another individual with the name Japheth was Japheth ben Nuri, a 10th-century Karaite Jewish scholar and exegete from Jerusalem. He was known for his work on the Hebrew Bible and his contributions to the Karaite movement.
In the 17th century, Japheth Schwarz was a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who wrote on the harmony between reason and faith. He was born in 1592 and died in 1637.
Japheth Nouri was an Armenian merchant and diplomat who lived in the 18th century. He was born in 1709 and served as a representative of the Armenian community in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
Japheth Randolph was an American politician and lawyer who served as the first Attorney General of Virginia in the late 18th century. He was born in 1723 and died in 1799.
These are some of the notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Japheth, a name with deep roots in biblical and cultural traditions, symbolizing beauty and a connection to the descendants of Noah.
People
Japheth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Japheth as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Japheth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Japheth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,324 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Japheth going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 258,878 US residents.
Is Japheth a common name?
We classify Japheth as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,353 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Japheth most popular?
The single biggest year for Japheth was 2007, when 51 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Japheth is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Japheth a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Japheth in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.