What name is given to Noah’s ark survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh?

The ark survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh is named Utnapishtim.

In the flood story embedded in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a boat and preserve life from a devastating flood. Utnapishtim later tells Gilgamesh how he survived, making the episode one of the best-known flood narratives from ancient Mesopotamia.

The story appears on Tablet XI of the standard version of the epic. Utnapishtim’s account includes building a large boat, taking living creatures aboard, releasing birds to test whether the waters had receded, and offering a sacrifice after reaching safety.

Utnapishtim is not Noah under another spelling. He is a distinct character in a different literary tradition, although the two narratives share striking motifs. Earlier Mesopotamian flood stories name related figures Atrahasis or Ziusudra, so identifying the exact text is essential when answering this question.