In the Genesis account of Noah's Ark, seven people entered the ark besides Noah.
Genesis names Noah's wife, his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and the three wives of those sons. Together with Noah, this makes a household of eight people aboard the ark. The number seven therefore refers specifically to the people accompanying Noah, not to the total human passengers.
The account appears in Genesis chapters 6–9, where the ark is built as a refuge from the Flood. The text does not give the names of Noah's wife or his daughters-in-law, although later Jewish and Islamic traditions supply different names. This is why answers that list named women should be treated cautiously: the biblical passage identifies their relationships rather than providing personal names.
The number also connects with other sevens in the narrative, including the instruction concerning clean animals. Those details have led to frequent confusion between the number of people, the number of animal categories, and the total number of animals.