Boy nameCurrently #62 in the USFalling
Nathan
NAY-thun//ˈneɪθən//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20046 lettersStarts with N
Meaning & origin
He gave
Nathan comes from the Hebrew meaning 'he gave', short for names like Nathaniel, and belongs in the Bible to the prophet who boldly confronted King David over his wrongdoing. Its crisp, dependable sound has kept it popular for generations.
Nathan's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Nathan |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 114 |
| 1881 | 91 |
| 1882 | 113 |
| 1883 | 93 |
| 1884 | 100 |
| 1885 | 103 |
| 1886 | 136 |
| 1887 | 106 |
| 1888 | 129 |
| 1889 | 121 |
| 1890 | 110 |
| 1891 | 106 |
| 1892 | 144 |
| 1893 | 114 |
| 1894 | 127 |
| 1895 | 119 |
| 1896 | 110 |
| 1897 | 139 |
| 1898 | 99 |
| 1899 | 112 |
| 1900 | 186 |
| 1901 | 131 |
| 1902 | 143 |
| 1903 | 146 |
| 1904 | 131 |
| 1905 | 168 |
| 1906 | 148 |
| 1907 | 176 |
| 1908 | 178 |
| 1909 | 209 |
| 1910 | 245 |
| 1911 | 348 |
| 1912 | 581 |
| 1913 | 615 |
| 1914 | 848 |
| 1915 | 922 |
| 1916 | 904 |
| 1917 | 887 |
| 1918 | 945 |
| 1919 | 849 |
| 1920 | 815 |
| 1921 | 758 |
| 1922 | 754 |
| 1923 | 739 |
| 1924 | 680 |
| 1925 | 620 |
| 1926 | 669 |
| 1927 | 643 |
| 1928 | 548 |
| 1929 | 522 |
| 1930 | 546 |
| 1931 | 449 |
| 1932 | 486 |
| 1933 | 413 |
| 1934 | 469 |
| 1935 | 468 |
| 1936 | 464 |
| 1937 | 434 |
| 1938 | 516 |
| 1939 | 474 |
| 1940 | 497 |
| 1941 | 527 |
| 1942 | 523 |
| 1943 | 586 |
| 1944 | 507 |
| 1945 | 488 |
| 1946 | 557 |
| 1947 | 617 |
| 1948 | 620 |
| 1949 | 660 |
| 1950 | 752 |
| 1951 | 870 |
| 1952 | 851 |
| 1953 | 806 |
| 1954 | 959 |
| 1955 | 956 |
| 1956 | 1,099 |
| 1957 | 1,230 |
| 1958 | 1,248 |
| 1959 | 1,387 |
| 1960 | 1,635 |
| 1961 | 1,499 |
| 1962 | 1,532 |
| 1963 | 1,546 |
| 1964 | 1,499 |
| 1965 | 1,426 |
| 1966 | 1,423 |
| 1967 | 1,439 |
| 1968 | 1,668 |
| 1969 | 1,920 |
| 1970 | 2,558 |
| 1971 | 3,066 |
| 1972 | 3,539 |
| 1973 | 4,759 |
| 1974 | 5,874 |
| 1975 | 7,106 |
| 1976 | 8,653 |
| 1977 | 9,934 |
| 1978 | 9,950 |
| 1979 | 10,784 |
| 1980 | 11,215 |
| 1981 | 11,327 |
| 1982 | 10,875 |
| 1983 | 10,644 |
| 1984 | 10,686 |
| 1985 | 10,741 |
| 1986 | 10,059 |
| 1987 | 9,972 |
| 1988 | 10,198 |
| 1989 | 10,950 |
| 1990 | 10,961 |
| 1991 | 10,526 |
| 1992 | 10,170 |
| 1993 | 10,224 |
| 1994 | 10,415 |
| 1995 | 10,325 |
| 1996 | 10,309 |
| 1997 | 10,458 |
| 1998 | 11,595 |
| 1999 | 12,556 |
| 2000 | 13,054 |
| 2001 | 12,665 |
| 2002 | 13,254 |
| 2003 | 13,693 |
| 2004 | 14,695 |
| 2005 | 14,396 |
| 2006 | 14,300 |
| 2007 | 13,622 |
| 2008 | 13,276 |
| 2009 | 12,152 |
| 2010 | 11,387 |
| 2011 | 10,533 |
| 2012 | 10,447 |
| 2013 | 9,730 |
| 2014 | 9,004 |
| 2015 | 8,608 |
| 2016 | 8,006 |
| 2017 | 7,449 |
| 2018 | 6,860 |
| 2019 | 6,087 |
| 2020 | 5,700 |
| 2021 | 5,437 |
| 2022 | 5,545 |
| 2023 | 5,066 |
| 2024 | 5,018 |
Nathan through the decades
- Nathan peaked in 2004, when 14,695 babies were named Nathan in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Nathan has fallen 46% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Nathan currently ranks #62 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Nate
Variants & spellings
Nathaniel