A quick and fun etymology of Noach and Utnapishtim

A comment by Shilton Hasechel in a recent DovBear comment thread:

If Noach was a historical figure why can no one agree on his name (Utnapishtim, etc.)

I have some good answers to this question, but I'm in the mood to have some fun.

Yes, in Akkadian he is referred to as Utanapishtim ("He who saw life", appropriate as the Gilgamesh epic is all about attaining eternal life.) However, in Old Babylonian, this name is instead as Utna-ishtim, without the /p/.

Here is the first pasuk in parashat Noach:

ט  אֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ--נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו:  אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, הִתְהַלֶּךְ-נֹחַ.

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted; Noah walked with God.

Let me mark off some of these letters in red:

אֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ--נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו:  אֶת-הָאֱלֹהִים, הִתְהַלֶּךְ-נֹחַ.

I give you Ut-nah-ish-tim.

(If you ask why I use the roshei teivos of the first two words, I'll point out that Noach was captain, or the rosh, of his teivah, such that this is entirely appropriate.)