The website Babycenter released a list of baby names that are truly timeless according to their data, and among the two dozen names is one that means timeless in Hebrew: Ethan. According to the Social Security Administration, Ethan has been in the top 25 baby names since 2000.
OK, technically Ethan means “enduring” or “solid,” but close enough, right? In the book of Exodus, the Hebrew form of the name, Eitan, is used to mean “perennial” or “ever flowing” with regards to the Red Sea.It’s also used in a somewhat iconic quote: “Let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing (eitan) stream.”
Ethan has been popular for so long that it might seem like it’s been ubiquitous since its biblical days. But in the United States, the name only broke through to the top 1000 baby names twice in the first half of the 20th century. It entered the zeitgeist for good in 1956, really started climbing in the late 1980s (around the time Ethan Hawke starred in “The Dead Poets Society”), and peaked in the early 2000s — a jump Nameberry associates with the release of the “Mission: Impossible” movies, where Tom Cruise plays secret agent Ethan Hunt.
The name remained in the top 10 boys’ baby names from 2002 until 2016, peaking at number 2 in 2009 and 2010 (if you’re keeping track, that was during a “Mission: Impossible” drought; no movies from the franchise were released between 2006 and 2010). As of 2024, it was still in the top 25, landing at number 19.
The popularity of Ethan isn’t altogether surprising, given that biblical boys’ names have dominated the top 10 for decades. Other Hebrew biblical names holding steady on the baby name charts (and also on Babycenter’s list of timeless names) are Benjamin, Daniel, Elijah, Gabriel, Matthew and, more recently, Noah and Levi.
“I want to name my baby Ethan but it’s too popular!”
If you love Ethan but want a name that’s less popular, why not go back to its Hebrew roots with Eitan? Eitan is familiar and easy to say in English, but not overly popular — the name has never been in the top 1000 baby names according to the Social Security Administration (although anecdotally, we’re hearing about more and more baby Eitans in less observant Jewish circles). In Israel, Eitan was the ninth most popular baby name in 2025.
What Kveller readers think about the name Ethan
“90s kid.”
“It’s just like….someone’s husband’s name.”
“A cool guy — but not a jerk.”
“He’s a trumpet player.”
“Boy next door.”
“Nice Jewish boy.”
“Wasn’t that Lizzie McGuire’s crush’s name?”
“Preppy.”
“His mom wants him to be a doctor.”
“AEPi f*ckboy.”
What Kveller readers think about the name Eitan
“Cool Israeli counselor.”
“Someone’s Israeli cousin.”
“Popular kid at Jewish summer camp.”
“Nerdier version of Ethan.”
“More religious version of Ethan.”
“In the book ‘Ninth House’ there’s an Israeli gangster guy called Eitan, so… that.”
“Hot Israeli.”
Strong.”
“He’s a lil self obsessed.”
“Crunchy.”
Other Jewish baby names with similar vibes to Ethan, according to Kveller readers
Jacob (specifically with the nickname Jake)
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