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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Ethan - modern or classic?

34 replies

Ipushedmygrannyaffabus · 05/08/2016 01:48

DP is really keen on the name Ethan. I'm not convinced (but can't come up with any other options - seriously, I like nothing!) but do like the meaning of 'strength'. Does Ethan sound like a modern, could get dated, name or would you know it's biblical?

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Bluesand1 · 09/08/2016 16:40

Yes I am in an area where it is pronounced correctly at least by adults depends where you live I guess
It's a bit like Arthur and Seth which get Arfur and Sef by young children

wornoutboots · 09/08/2016 15:31

3 in my kid's class.

All pronounced "Ee-ffun" by kids (and at least half of the parents)

MrsGsnow18 · 09/08/2016 10:10

Evan and Nathan could be alternatives?

I wouldn't really let a names popularity put you off if you really love it. At the most he might have a few other people with the same name at school but that's fairly normal.

hopelesscook1 · 09/08/2016 04:38

We have a 4yo Ethan. I wasn't aware at the time it was popular then discovered it was. Having said that we have no other friends with Ethans but know lots of Benjamins, Matthews, tobys, jacobs, two Ezras, so it doesn't seem very popular around here

Seekingmiracles · 06/08/2016 16:25

Boring. I think it's one of those names that makes me think a parent couldn't be bothered to have a proper think about names

sandylion · 06/08/2016 09:24

It's a nice name. It's but kai or jaxon modern but it's not classic either. We liked Evan bit when he arrived he just didn't suit it!

Bluesand1 · 06/08/2016 09:15

Hardly any near me! Really does depend on where you live I think

Porcupinetree · 06/08/2016 08:13

Really, really, REALLY overused here.

Original poster
Ipushedmygrannyaffabus · 06/08/2016 01:50

Thanks for the feedback, you,ve kind of backed up what I was thinking.

LOVE Evan!

OP posts:
DerelictMyBalls · 05/08/2016 21:38

Evan is a lovely name, much classier.

pieceofpurplesky · 05/08/2016 21:36

How about Evan?

pieceofpurplesky · 05/08/2016 21:35

Lots of Ethan's at high school age. There are 7 I can think of at my school (1000 pupils).

craftyoldhen · 05/08/2016 21:25

I don't know any Ethans over the age of ten. I know several under 10. I would therefore say it's fashionable right now but will date. But if you like it, does it really matter?

Most names will date IMO. There are few truly timeless names.

You could call him something really unfashionable like Trevor or Malcolm- then there's a chance you'll be ahead of the curve and he'll hit adulthood just as his name comes back into fashion Grin

BikeRunSki · 05/08/2016 21:14

I wonder what caused that upward trend In 2008 ish.

DerelictMyBalls · 05/08/2016 20:10

Take a look at this graph to see how it has spiked in popularity: names.darkgreener.com/#ethan .

Very popular names rarely date well. It's this decade's Darren/Wayne.

Yes, it's from the Bible, but I don't think that makes it timeless.

LOL @ 'Ethos'! Grin

CordeliaFrost · 05/08/2016 19:52

I'd say it's modern traditional, in that it's modern in terms of popularity, but also traditional because it is an old name.

To be honest though, I prefer the original Hebrew form which is Eitan (pr. ay-tahn), the sound of Ethan doesn't appeal to me.

whatsagoodusername · 05/08/2016 19:08

My 5yo is an Ethan - there's another in his year and apparently another a few years up. I've only met one other though and he's at least late 30s now.

Modern biblical maybe? It's certainly more popular now than it has been.

Bluesand1 · 05/08/2016 19:03

Hebrew/Biblical name so an 'old name' that has gained popularity in recent times
Won't most names 'date' save for a few?
My son's name and only know of 2 others

fluttershyby · 05/08/2016 18:25

I've got an Ethan who's 10, I didn't know any when he was born but seems to have gotten more popular in recent years.
I did call him after Ethan Hunt in Mission impossible, quite sad but ex and I couldn't agree on any names then we watched the film...

marblestatue · 05/08/2016 18:16

It's a classic biblical name IMO.

BikeRunSki · 05/08/2016 11:17

Not modern, it's an Old Testament name. Just fairly recently widely used in the uk. This is what "Behind the Name" has to say about Ethan:

Means "solid, enduring" in Hebrew. This is the name of a wise man in the Old Testament. After the Protestant Reformation it was occasionally used as a given name in the English-speaking world, and it became somewhat common in America due to the fame of the revolutionary Ethan Allen (1738-1789).

Elroya1 · 05/08/2016 10:31

I do believe Ethan is quite modern. Will always bring the picture of Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible in my mind :)

ClockMakerSue · 05/08/2016 07:56

I think it is a strong traditional name, probably because of it being biblical. It looks as though it is fairly popular on the charts but I've only ever known two who are both teenagers now.

SavoyCabbage · 05/08/2016 07:40

There was an Ethan in my dd's class in Australia (like Koala says it is popular there) and his mother had told me in the past she had chosen it to stop the traditional Australian shortening of names Johhno, Davo, etc. BUT he ended up with the nickname of Ethos!

Bekksy · 05/08/2016 07:36

Although not a new name I would say it's modern a trend and there are so many around now. I wouldn't use it.

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