# Japheth (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/japheth/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “enlarged”, “fair” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒeɪfɛθ/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Jafeth, Japhet, Iapheth, Iapetus, Japetus |
| US babies named this | 1,387 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,387 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 50, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Jafeth (as attested in Wycliffe's Bible), from Old English Iafeth (see e.g. Aelfric of Eynsham) and Middle French Japhet, both from Late Latin Iaphet, Iafeth, from Koine Greek Ἰάφεθ (Iápheth), from Hebrew יֶפֶת (yépheth). Further origin uncertain; folk etymology as well as rabbinical and patristic claims usually point to a meaning like "enlarged", in reference to Genesis 9:27, or "fair" (pale, in reference to complexion).

## What it means

Japheth is grouped under white.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 35 | 3,202 |
| 2012 | 27 | 3,837 |
| 2013 | 37 | 3,023 |
| 2014 | 43 | 2,774 |
| 2015 | 43 | 2,786 |
| 2016 | 39 | 3,028 |
| 2017 | 35 | 3,273 |
| 2018 | 40 | 2,966 |
| 2019 | 34 | 3,384 |
| 2020 | 42 | 2,859 |
| 2021 | 26 | 4,062 |
| 2022 | 34 | 3,435 |
| 2023 | 33 | 3,506 |
| 2024 | 37 | 3,243 |
| 2025 | 34 | 3,405 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 4 | 3,009 |
| 2005 | 3 | 3,849 |
| 2007 | 7 | 2,435 |
| 2010 | 4 | 3,865 |
| 2012 | 3 | 4,805 |
| 2013 | 3 | 4,685 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3,004 |
| 2018 | 3 | 4,749 |
| 2019 | 5 | 3,411 |
| 2022 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4,270 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3,684 |

## People named Japheth

- Joel Perez, American actor

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.