How many people does Genesis name as survivors aboard Noah's Ark?

Genesis names eight people as survivors aboard Noah's Ark: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and the three wives of those sons. The sons are Shem, Ham, and Japheth, making eight members of the human family in the ark narrative.

Genesis introduces Noah's household before the flood and later identifies the same family as leaving the ark. The account does not give the names of Noah's wife or the three daughters-in-law, so the number is more specific than the list of personal names.

Later biblical writing also uses the figure eight. The First Epistle of Peter refers to “eight persons” being saved through water, reinforcing the traditional count associated with the story.

Some retellings focus on the animals and omit the family arithmetic, while others confuse the number of people with the number of animals. The human survivor count is eight; it is separate from the instructions about bringing animal pairs or groups.