Yafet

Meaning & origin

Yafet entered U.S. records in 1997, and has remained a rare choice, ranking 7,194 in 2025. At that rank, approximately 1 in 155,280 baby boys were named Yafet that year. The name saw its highest usage in 2016, but has been declining in popularity since around 2015, fitting a pattern of falling trajectory. Despite its biblical roots, Yafet has not been concentrated in any particular state, showing wide but sparse distribution. Its sound and spelling align with a trend of contemporary Old Testament revivals, yet it remains far less common than names like Noah or Elijah.

Yafet is a variant of the biblical name Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis. The name is traditionally derived from the Hebrew root פ-ת-ה (p-t-h), meaning 'to enlarge' or 'to open,' symbolizing expansion and prosperity. In the biblical narrative, Japheth is considered the ancestor of many European and Asian peoples, giving the name a sense of breadth and legacy. The spelling Yafet is a modern transliteration, reflecting the Hebrew pronunciation, and has been in limited use in English-speaking countries since the late 20th century.