Given name & surname
Japhet
Japhet is a given name from Latin. It is used in French.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Japhet is a variant of Japheth. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1979. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Japhet through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 281
- 281 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #7,382 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +5%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,382 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 2015. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 508 as a first name in 2020; 257 as a surname 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 2
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 Japhet
- Japhet TangangaEnglish association football playerborn 1999
- Japhet N'DoramChadian and French footballerborn 1966
- Japhet Sery LarsenDanish association football playerborn 2000
- Japhet KosgeiKenyan distance runnerborn 1968
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.