He was called by many names in ancient texts. Ziasudra, by the writer Berossus, is by some accounts the oldest known occurrence of the flood story told in Sumerian cuneiform script. The name Atra-hasis comes along during the early Akkadian ruler-ship telling us basically the same story.  Later, during the Akkadian kingdom, his name was changed again to Utnapishtim (Uta-napishtim) which was recorded in the 'Epic of Gilgamesh' tablets. 

In Mesopotamian lure he is the Flood Hero, tasked by the god Enki (In Akkadian EA)  to create a giant ship to be called the 'Preserver of Life' in preparation for a giant flood that would wipe out all life. The story of Uta-napishtim has drawn scholarly comparisons due to the similarities between it and the storylines about Noah in the Book of Genesis.  

One of the debated differences between the Biblical account and the Akkadian/Sumerian accounts is that in the Bible Noah marched the animals into the ARK two by two. In the Sumerian/Akkadian tales, Noah was given a pilot by the 'god' Enki. He also told him to collect/store the essence of the animals. Was that essence DNA?