The name Amihud is found in different tribes – why was it a popular name?

Question

In the sedra of Masei, two nesi'im are mentioned whose father is Amihud.

1] 34 (20) וּלְמַטֵּה֨ בְּנֵ֣י שִׁמְע֔וֹן שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל בֶּן־עַמִּיהֽוּד:

2] 34 (28) וּלְמַטֵּ֥ה בְנֵֽי־נַפְתָּלִ֖י נָשִׂ֑יא פְּדַהְאֵ֖ל בֶּן־עַמִּיהֽוּד:

I see apparently different Amihuds mentioned in

3] Bamidbor 1 (10) לְאֶפְרַ֕יִם אֱלִֽישָׁמָ֖ע בֶּן־עַמִּיה֑וּד

4] II Shmuel 13 (37) וְאַבְשָׁל֣וֹם בָּרַ֔ח וַיֵּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־תַּלְמַ֥י בֶּן־עַמִּיה֖וּד

5] I Chronicles 9 (4) עוּתַ֨י בֶּן־עַמִּיה֚וּד בֶּן־עָמְרִי֙ בֶּן־אִמְרִ֣י בֶן־בָּנִ֔י מִן (כתיב בָּנִ֔ימִן־) בְּנֵי־פֶ֖רֶץ בֶּן־יְהוּדָֽה:

The Amihuds of refs 1, 2, 3 and 5 belonged to different tribes. Is it right to conclude that Amihud was a popular name and if so why?

Answer 1

I haven’t seen an explanation written explicitly, but maybe you’ll accept a humble suggestion.

The Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Nasso, 28 says, “Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha expounded on people’s names. Elishama - Eli Shama - (Hashem said) ‘He listened to me and not to his mistress’. Amihud - imi haya hodo - ‘His splendor was with Me (and not with the Egyptian woman)’. This is in reference to Yosef Hatzaddik who was his grandfather who was faithful and did not commit a sin with Potiphar’s wife. (See earlier in the Midrash text and Rabbeinu Bachaye.)

Chazal in many places point to several things by which the (entire) Jewish People merited the exodus from Mitzrayim, one of which is that they guarded themselves from immoral relations (with the Egyptians). The Midrash Bamidbar Rabba, 9, 12, says that this was actually the chief merit they had.

As such, it makes sense that these names which refer to that merit were popular in those times.