Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Ethan

Say it EE-thun 2 syllables

Hebrew · “firmness, strong, or long-lived”

Loved in British Columbia. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 9 more places. Rare in Poland, Israel, the Netherlands, and 11 more places.

1 in 153 boys born in Northern Ireland in 2025. Number 32 there.

Ethan in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 1, common in 14, rare in 14.
Ethan in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales54 (down)20259171 in 297362020
Scotland55 (down)2025781 in 252362020
Northern Ireland32 (down)2025541 in 153162020
Ireland51 (down)20251021 in 233472020
North America
Ontario (province)17 (down)2024379about 1 in 15852019
Quebec (province)32 (up)2025182about 1 in 160352020
British Columbia (province)62023129about 1 in 10162018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)49 (down)2025147192020
Victoria (state)34 (down)2025161132020
Queensland (state)77 (down)202578312020
South Australia (state)81 (down)202524272020
New Zealand32 (down)202587292020
Western Europe
France30 (down)20251,4601 in 207192020
Netherlands299 (up)202553about 1 in 1,2553362020
Central Europe
Austria543 (up)202581 in 4,7586022020
Switzerland83 (down)2025831 in 434762020
Berlin (city)532 (down)20235about 1 in 3,1023852018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)325 (up)20233about 1 in 2,1266442018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)241 (new in the list)20252about 1 in 1,438Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
Norway308 (new in the list)2025111 in 2,116Not listed2020
Sweden360 (up)202519about 1 in 2,2705352020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)249 (up)2025161 in 1,2942572020
Italy81 (up)20243781 in 5011022019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland292 (up)2025141 in 9,0294922020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Ethan comes from the Biblical Hebrew ʾêṯān, glossed as 'firmness, strong, or long-lived'. English took the name straight from the Hebrew of the Bible.

2 more paragraphs

With two syllables, EE-thun, it is soft and smooth. Other forms include Etan, Étán and Eathan.

Ethan is especially popular in Canada, ranking near the top in British Columbia and not far behind in Ontario, and it is found in Northern Ireland's lists too. It is less common in continental Europe, appearing further down in France, Italy and Switzerland. French records show it arriving only in the 1980s and peaking a generation later. It is now falling in more places than it is rising.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
EE-thun · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“firmness, strong, or long-lived”
Origin
Hebrew
Related names
Eathan, I-deun, Étán, Etan
Where Ethan comes from (Wiktionary)

From Biblical Hebrew אֵיתָן (ʾêṯān, literally “firmness, strong, or long-lived”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Ethan. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ethan over time

Rising in 4 of the 21 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 10. Peak in France: 2012.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Ethan in England and Wales: #92 in 1996, a peak of #11 in 2011, and #54 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #92, 604 boys1997: #62, 1,037 boys1998: #47, 1,565 boys1999: #40, 1,772 boys2000: #32, 2,392 boys2001: #21, 3,195 boys2002: #18, 3,523 boys2003: #15, 3,924 boys2004: #13, 3,864 boys2005: #18, 3,528 boys2006: #18, 3,400 boys2007: #15, 3,544 boys2008: #15, 3,451 boys2009: #13, 3,729 boys2010: #13, 4,166 boys2011: #11, 4,581 boys2012: #13, 4,221 boys2013: #14, 3,572 boys2014: #18, 3,061 boys2015: #18, 2,940 boys2016: #19, 2,722 boys2017: #26, 2,323 boys2018: #25, 2,106 boys2019: #30, 1,770 boys2020: #36, 1,454 boys2021: #43, 1,398 boys2022: #43, 1,268 boys2023: #47, 1,198 boys2024: #48, 1,086 boys2025: #54, 917 boys#92 in 1996peak #11, 2011#54in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199692604
1997621,037
1998471,565
1999401,772
2000322,392
2001213,195
2002183,523
2003153,924
2004133,864
2005183,528
2006183,400
2007153,544
2008153,451
2009133,729
2010134,166
2011114,581
2012134,221
2013143,572
2014183,061
2015182,940
2016192,722
2017262,323
2018252,106
2019301,770
2020361,454
2021431,398
2022431,268
2023471,198
2024481,086
202554917

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Ethan in France since 1925 were born in or after 2013. Peak: 2012, about 1,263 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 0 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 0.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 2.9 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 17.5 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 264.2 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 868.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 1,173.4 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 993.9 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 627.3 per 100,000 boys20202025: 482.3 per 100,000 boys20252010-2014: about 1 in 85 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19840
1985–19890.8
1990–19942.9
1995–199917.5
2000–2004264.2
2005–2009868.8
2010–20141,173.4
2015–2019993.9
2020–2024627.3
2025482.3

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Ethan

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Ethan, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 164, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 202, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 204, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 319, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 162, Northern Ireland

  6. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  7. 1 in 209, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 97, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 290, England and Wales

  10. 1 in 196, Scotland

All 40 brother names for Ethan

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Ethan's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Ethan Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials E.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Ethan

Sisters for Ethan: Maya, Ava, Hannah, and 5 more
  1. MayaRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan
  2. AvaRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan
  3. HannahRose and fell with Ethan · As common as Ethan
  4. ZaraRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan
  5. AbigailRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan
  6. EdenRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan · Same initial as Ethan
  7. ElizaRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan · Same initial as Ethan
  8. GabriellaRose and fell with Ethan · Same generation as Ethan

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Ethan

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Ethan's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 16 more places.

  4. Common across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  8. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 19 more places.

Famous people named Ethan

Ethan Hawke, Ethan Ampadu, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Ethan

How popular is Ethan in British Columbia?

Ethan ranked #6 in British Columbia in 2023, given to 129 boys, about 1 in 101.

Is Ethan rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 4 of the 21 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 10. Rising in: Norway, Sweden, Austria, and Italy.

What does Ethan mean?

Ethan means “firmness, strong, or long-lived”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Ethan have?

Ethan has 2 syllables: EE-thun.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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