boys' name ★ peaked 2000

Nathanael

Meaning el, literally “God has given Gender Boy Rank 2025 #632 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

From Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).

Rank 2025
#632
among boys · ↑42 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
442
named Nathanael · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,864
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2000
609 babies
All-time total
22,244
#789 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Nathanael popularity over time

22,244 babies have been named Nathanael since 1915, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 19 19 2 – #3,459
1920s – 23 23 2 +21% #3,637
1930s – 50 50 5 +117% #2,420
1940s – 63 63 6 +26% #2,419
1950s – 78 78 8 +24% #2,398
1960s – 174 174 17 +123% #1,381
1970s – 1,491 1,491 149 +757% #500
1980s 12 3,514 3,526 353 +136% #433
1990s – 4,606 4,606 461 +31% #406
2000s – 5,712 5,712 571 +24% #408
2010s – 4,292 4,292 429 -25% #538
2020s (to 2025) 5 2,205 2,210 368 -14% #632

Where Nathanael is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 458 0.27 outside top 500
2027 473 0.28 outside top 500
2028 485 0.28 outside top 500
2029 496 0.29 outside top 500
2030 505 0.30 outside top 500

Where Nathanael is most popular

Boys named Nathanael per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.215 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Florida, and Delaware.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Nathanael born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 49 0.356 +65%
Florida 167 0.353 +64%
Delaware 5 0.330 +53%
Georgia 79 0.312 +45%
Virginia 58 0.306 +42%
Maryland 36 0.302 +40%
California 262 0.287 +33%
Indiana 44 0.274 +27%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +25%
Pennsylvania 69 0.260 +21%
Washington 41 0.251 +16%
Texas 220 0.250 +16%
New York 104 0.240 +12%
Oregon 18 0.237 +10%
Nevada 13 0.228 +6%
Connecticut 15 0.222 ≈ national
Minnesota 27 0.220 ≈ national
Colorado 28 0.217 ≈ national
Tennessee 39 0.216 ≈ national
North Carolina 55 0.215 ≈ national
Arizona 34 0.208 ≈ national
New Jersey 41 0.204 -5%
New Mexico 6 0.182 -15%
Illinois 45 0.176 -18%
Ohio 44 0.166 -23%
South Carolina 15 0.145 -33%
Michigan 28 0.137 -37%
Utah 12 0.126 -42%
Idaho 5 0.122 -43%
Alabama 12 0.110 -49%
Missouri 14 0.101 -53%
Wisconsin 10 0.084 -61%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -63%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -72%
Louisiana 6 0.059 -73%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Nathanael

Nathanael is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #632 in 2025 with 442 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 22,244 American babies have been named Nathanael. Its peak came in 2000, when 609 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nathanael stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nathanael?

The median living Nathanael is about 23 years old; half are between 13 and 34. An estimated 22 thousand people named Nathanael are alive in the United States today.

median 23 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Nathanael year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 442 #632
2024 – – 407 #674
2023 5 #16,893 369 #719
2022 – – 325 #779
2021 – – 317 #781
2020 – – 345 #721
2019 – – 348 #710
2018 – – 337 #717
2017 – – 402 #644
2016 – – 431 #621
2015 – – 480 #580
2014 – – 477 #583
2013 – – 471 #560
2012 – – 438 #584
2011 – – 433 #579
2010 – – 475 #538
2009 – – 586 #467
2008 – – 531 #513
2007 – – 598 #462
2006 – – 594 #455
2005 – – 577 #448
2004 – – 595 #436
2003 – – 539 #467
2002 – – 539 #454
2001 – – 544 #446
2000 – – 609 #408
1995 – – 476 #467
1990 – – 356 #523
1985 – – 352 #458
1980 – – 348 #447
1975 – – 163 #634
1970 – – 41 #1,311
1965 – – 11 #2,574
1960 – – 10 #2,808
1955 – – 7 #3,408
1950 – – 11 #2,398
1945 – – 7 #2,914
1940 – – – –
1935 – – 8 #2,874
1930 – – 9 #2,938
1925 – – 7 #3,637
1920 – – – –
1915 – – 6 #3,707
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nathanael

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene American military officer and planter (1742–1786) 18th century
  2. 2 Nathanael West Nathanael West American novelist (1903–1940) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Nathanael, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nathanael?

The median living Nathanael is about 23 years old. Half of all living Nathanaels are between 13 and 34 years old.

How many people named Nathanael are alive today?

An estimated 22 thousand people named Nathanael are alive in the United States, based on 22,244 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Nathanael mean?

From Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).

How popular is the name Nathanael in 2025?

Nathanael ranked #632 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 442 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nathanael?

22,244 babies have been named Nathanael in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nathanael most popular?

Nathanael peaked in 2000, when 609 newborns received the name.

Is Nathanael a boy or girl name?

Nathanael is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nathanael rising or falling?

Nathanael has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Nathanael become more popular?

Nathanael is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 505 boys named Nathanael in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Nathanael?

Well-known people named Nathanael include Nathanael Greene (military personnel), Nathanael West (writer).

Names like Nathanael

Names that sound and feel close to Nathanael: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Nathanael with similar names → More names starting with N →