Boy Old Testament Known
Japheth
Japheth
יֶ֫פֶת ye.phet
Japheth (Hebrew: יֶ֫פֶת, ye.phet) is a biblical name; its Hebrew etymology is not securely established. It appears in 11 verses across 2 books of the Bible. In 2025 it was given to 34 children in the United States. Around 1,387 Americans have been given it since 1880. Appears with Ham in Genesis 9.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Japheth
father of Madai; father of Javan; father of Tubal
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 11 across 2 books
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Patriarchal
Using it today
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 34 | Steady |
| All-time total | 1,387 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 51 in 2007 | Its highest year on record |
| Strongest state | PA | Highest share relative to births |
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 5:32 |
| Last appears | 1 Chronicles 1:5 |
| Cross-references | 150 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Shem co-occurrence Appears with Shem in Genesis 9.
- Ham co-occurrence Appears with Ham in Genesis 9.
- Tiras co-occurrence Appears with Tiras in Genesis 10.
- Madai co-occurrence Appears with Madai in Genesis 10.
- Magog co-occurrence Appears with Magog in Genesis 10.
- Tubal co-occurrence Appears with Tubal in Genesis 10.
- Meshech co-occurrence Appears with Meshech in Genesis 10.
- Noah co-occurrence Appears with Noah in Genesis 9.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.5.32;
son of: Noah (H5146);
brother of: Shem (H8035) and Ham (H2526);
father of: Gomer (H1586), Magog (H4031), Madai (H4074), Javan (H3120), Tubal (H8422), Meshech (H4902) and Tiras (H8494)
§ Japheth = "opened"
the 3rd son of Noah whose descendants after the flood settled on the coastal lands of the Mediterranean spreading north into Europe and parts of Asia
Japheth was one of Noah's three sons and the ancestor of the Indo-European peoples.
The biblical story
Japheth was one of the three sons of Noah, along with Shem and Ham, as recorded in Gen.5.32 and Gen.6.10. He and his brothers were born before the Great Flood. Japheth, his wife, and his brothers and their wives entered the ark with Noah and survived the Flood (Gen.7.13). After the Flood, Noah blessed Japheth, saying, "May God extend Japheth's territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth" (Gen.9.27). Japheth's descendants are listed in Gen.10.2-5 and 1Ch.1.5-7, and they are generally associated with the Indo-European peoples, including the Greeks, Medes, and Thracians. The name Japheth means "enlargement" or "expansion," which is fitting given the widespread distribution of his descendants. Japheth's offspring played a significant role in the repopulation of the earth after the Flood and the development of various nations and cultures.
Key verses
Japheth appears in 11 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 5:32 -
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6:10 -
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
Genesis 7:13 -
And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
Genesis 9:18 -
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
Genesis 9:23
Show all 11 references
Genesis (9)
- Genesis 5:32
- Genesis 6:10
- Genesis 7:13
- Genesis 9:18
- Genesis 9:23
- Genesis 9:27
- Genesis 10:1
- Genesis 10:2
- Genesis 10:21
1 Chronicles (2)
- 1 Chronicles 1:4
- 1 Chronicles 1:5