Which three sons of Noah are named in the Noah’s Ark account?

The Noah’s Ark account names Noah’s three sons as Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 6:10 introduces these sons before describing the Flood, and Genesis 7:13 says that Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives entered the ark. The narrative therefore presents eight people from Noah’s household as survivors of the Flood.

The three names also become important after the Flood. Genesis 9 recounts an incident involving Noah and his sons, while Genesis 10, often called the Table of Nations, links many later peoples and territories to descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth. These genealogical associations belong to the biblical account and should not be treated as modern population history.

A common mix-up is to substitute other famous biblical families, such as Adam’s sons Cain, Abel and Seth. Those names belong to an earlier part of Genesis and are not Noah’s sons.