Eithan

Meaning of Eithan

Eithan—pronounced in English as EE-thuhn (/ˈi.θən/)—is a Hebrew derivative of אֵיתָן (Eitan), a biblical term connoting firmness, constancy, and enduring strength; in I Kings 4:31, Ethan the Ezrahite personifies wisdom anchored in resilience, a thematic resonance that has long encouraged parents to favor the name for sons whom they wish to see rooted yet forward-looking. While Ethan has enjoyed sustained popularity across the Anglophone world since the mid-twentieth century, its historically faithful transliteration Eithan began charting in United States vital-statistics records only at the close of the 1980s, thereafter advancing at a measured but persistent pace: from a mere five newborns in 1990, the spelling climbed to 260-plus annual registrations by 2020 and ultimately surpassed 1,500 births in 2024, at which juncture it reached national rank 216. This trajectory illustrates a broader onomastic tendency whereby families seek nominal distinctiveness without relinquishing phonological familiarity—a strategy that preserves the sturdy semantic core of “Ethan” while visually signaling cultural literacy with Hebrew source material. Although public figures bearing the exact orthography Eithan remain comparatively few, its users frequently cite Old-Testament gravitas, contemporary Israeli provenance, and the subtle flourish of the internal h as attributes that differentiate the name within classrooms and professional directories alike. Collectively, these factors render Eithan a modern yet scripturally grounded choice, simultaneously traditional in meaning and quietly innovative in form.

Pronunciation

American English

• Pronunced as EE-thuhn (/ˈi.θən/)

• Nathan
• Ethan
• Evan
• Ian