Ethan

Where the name comes from

• Hebrew
  Enduring, permanent, firm, strong
  אֵיתָן (ʼêthân), "permanent" or "enduring." The same Hebrew word, used as an ordinary adjective, describes streams that never run dry.
  Ethan comes from a Hebrew word for something lasting. Bible dictionaries define it as "enduring" and "permanent." The word's basic sense is "perennial, ever-flowing," like a river that keeps running all year. From that it came to mean "permanent" and "strong." The same word, in the plural, gave its name to Ethanim, a month in the ancient Hebrew calendar.

Ethan across traditions

• Jewish and Christian scripture. The Hebrew Bible names four men Ethan. The best known is Ethan the Ezrahite, a wise man. The Book of Kings says King Solomon was wiser even than him, and Psalm 89 is credited to him. Another Ethan was a Levite musician whom King David appointed to play the bronze cymbals in temple worship.
• Jewish (modern Hebrew). Eitan is the modern Hebrew form of the name. It is used in Israel and in Jewish families around the world.
• Spanish-language Bible tradition. In the Reina-Valera Spanish Bible, which is widely read in Latin American Protestant churches, the biblical Ethan is called Etán. Spanish-speaking families in the US often use the English spelling, Ethan.
• American history and culture. Ethan was one of the lesser-known Bible names taken up by New England Puritans. It became familiar in early America because of the Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen. Later it was the name of the title character in Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome (1911) and of John Wayne's character, Ethan Edwards, in the film The Searchers (1956).
• US popularity. Ethan was rare when most of today's parents were born. It took off around 1990. It peaked in 2009 and 2010, when it was the #2 boys' name in the US. It ranked #6 for the 2010s as a whole.

Who carried it

• Ethan the Ezrahite (Biblical, the time of King Solomon (about 3,000 years ago)): A wise man named in 1 Kings 4:31. Tradition credits him with writing Psalm 89.
• Ethan, son of Kushaiah (Kishi) (Biblical, the time of King David): A Levite musician who played the bronze cymbals in David's temple music, along with Heman and Asaph.
• Ethan Allen (1738–1789): A soldier and frontiersman who led the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont. On May 10, 1775, he helped capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British.

Forms in other languages

Eitan, Eytan, Etán, Ethen, Ethyn

Ethan in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.