Ethan
Hebrew eitan, “firm, enduring, strong.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
An Old Testament name revived in the broad biblical wave of the 1990s and 2000s.
Ethan first shows up in the national records in 1882. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1989 to 2025. It spent 15 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 2004, when 22,210 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 5 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2009, at No. 2. In 2025 it ranked No. 24 for boys. All told, 488,144 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Eithan (8,754), Ethen (3,858), Ethyn (1,541), Eathan (1,214) (total births since 1880)
Explore Ethan interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 30 | No. 613 |
| 1890s | 31 | No. 705 |
| 1900s | 17 | No. 943 |
| 1910s | 184 | No. 1153 |
| 1920s | 233 | No. 1300 |
| 1930s | 225 | No. 1120 |
| 1940s | 254 | No. 1240 |
| 1950s | 553 | No. 834 |
| 1960s | 1,601 | No. 532 |
| 1970s | 5,301 | No. 285 |
| 1980s | 10,490 | No. 87 |
| 1990s | 66,930 | No. 37 |
| 2000s | 201,835 | No. 2 |
| 2010s | 149,111 | No. 2 |
| 2020s | 50,594 | No. 13 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.