Japheth

JAY-feth
Hebrew
"expansion"

Japheth Origin and Meaning

The name Japheth is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "expansion".

This name of a son of Noah, whose descendants were said to have populated Europe, was well used by the seventeenth century Pilgrims. Pronunciation challenges would seem to hinder its chances for resurgence today, but "Ja" names and obscure Old Testament names are both trendy these days, so you never know.

Japheth is a major character in the Madeleine L'Engle novel Many Waters.

Japheth Popularity

Famous People Named Japheth

  • Japheth KimutaiKenyan Olympic runner
  • Japheth Joshua OmojuwaNigerian blogger and political commentator

Japheth in Pop Culture

  • Japhethone of Noah's sons in the Book of Genesis and a character in the musical Children of Eden by Stephen Schwartz