Given name
Jafet
Jafet is a masculine given name. It is used in Spanish and Faroese.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Jafet is a variant of Japheth. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Latin Iafeth, from Ancient Greek Ἰάφεθ, from Hebrew יפת.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1986. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Jafet through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,442
- 1,442 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 68 babies
- 2025
- 46
- #2,778 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 46 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,778 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 68 in 2015. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,487 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jafet
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jafet, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jasir
“one who is fearless”
>99% boys
Jayvier
>99% boys
Jaxzon
>99% boys
Jax
“resembling the hyacinth” · “the son of Jack or John”
99% boys · 1% girls
Jaece
“God is my salvation”
>99% boys
Jaxson
“the son of Jack or John”
>99% boys
Jaxsten
>99% boys
Jakhari
97% boys · 3% girls