First and foremost, Noah comes from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. (Noah also appears in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran.) As the renowned Bible story goes, Noah was instructed by God to build an ark and save his family and the earth's creatures from a devastating flood.
A less widely known story about Noah has him as the man who planted the earth's first vineyard and discovered fermentation and its effects. Somewhat fittingly, the meaning of this sonorous name, pronounced "no-ah," comes from the Hebrew word noach, which means "rest" and "comfort."
Today, Noah is hugely popular as a baby name regardless of religious affiliation. Variations of this name exist in at least 30 different languages, including:
In the United States, this ancient name with the contemporary sound has been the first or second most popular name for baby boys since 2013. It's actually been in the top ten names for boys on the Social Security Administration's list since 2009.
Why are such a flood of parents choosing Noah for their baby's name? It 's likely due to a combination of several baby-naming trends: Noah is short with melodic vowel sounds, it's gender-neutral, and it works across cultures. Plus, it 's got that beautiful history going back to the story of a man who saved animals two by two … and enjoyed kicking back in his vineyards with a glass of wine.
Noah : Patriarch from the Bible
Noah Webster : school teacher, authored Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Noah Baumbach : American film director, directed The Squid and the Whale and Marriage Stor
Noah Wyle : Actor who was on the TV series ER
Noah Elliot : American Paralympic snowboarder, won a bronze medal in the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games
Noah Charney : American art historian and novelist
Noah Centineo : Model, voice actor, actor in The Fosters and All the Boys I 've Loved Before
Noah Taylor : Australian actor, played Locke in the HBO series Game of Thrones
Joachim Noah : French-American former professional basketball player
Noah Lindsey Cyrus : Singer-songwriter and actress, sister of Miley Cyrus
Trevor Noah : South African comedian, host of The Daily Show
Noah Wyle : actor
Noah Bastian : actor
Noah Herron : football player
Noah Taylor : actor
Noah Webster : lexicographer