Boy nameCurrently #144 in the USFalling
Nathaniel
nuh-THAN-yul//nəˈθænjəl//
4 syllablesPeak year: 20029 lettersStarts with N
Meaning & origin
Gift of God
Nathaniel comes from the Hebrew meaning 'gift of God', and in the New Testament is generally identified with the apostle Bartholomew, praised by Jesus as a man without deceit. Its full, dignified form offers the popular short form Nathan or Nate.
Nathaniel's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Nathaniel |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 60 |
| 1881 | 48 |
| 1882 | 57 |
| 1883 | 49 |
| 1884 | 56 |
| 1885 | 54 |
| 1886 | 59 |
| 1887 | 57 |
| 1888 | 63 |
| 1889 | 48 |
| 1890 | 75 |
| 1891 | 46 |
| 1892 | 78 |
| 1893 | 58 |
| 1894 | 77 |
| 1895 | 72 |
| 1896 | 73 |
| 1897 | 43 |
| 1898 | 90 |
| 1899 | 72 |
| 1900 | 118 |
| 1901 | 92 |
| 1902 | 88 |
| 1903 | 105 |
| 1904 | 105 |
| 1905 | 117 |
| 1906 | 101 |
| 1907 | 124 |
| 1908 | 150 |
| 1909 | 143 |
| 1910 | 232 |
| 1911 | 207 |
| 1912 | 356 |
| 1913 | 337 |
| 1914 | 470 |
| 1915 | 559 |
| 1916 | 590 |
| 1917 | 646 |
| 1918 | 661 |
| 1919 | 755 |
| 1920 | 837 |
| 1921 | 748 |
| 1922 | 800 |
| 1923 | 721 |
| 1924 | 808 |
| 1925 | 820 |
| 1926 | 827 |
| 1927 | 779 |
| 1928 | 740 |
| 1929 | 767 |
| 1930 | 761 |
| 1931 | 664 |
| 1932 | 789 |
| 1933 | 736 |
| 1934 | 790 |
| 1935 | 754 |
| 1936 | 746 |
| 1937 | 708 |
| 1938 | 749 |
| 1939 | 775 |
| 1940 | 844 |
| 1941 | 834 |
| 1942 | 848 |
| 1943 | 845 |
| 1944 | 873 |
| 1945 | 853 |
| 1946 | 987 |
| 1947 | 1,106 |
| 1948 | 1,170 |
| 1949 | 1,201 |
| 1950 | 1,235 |
| 1951 | 1,259 |
| 1952 | 1,271 |
| 1953 | 1,280 |
| 1954 | 1,240 |
| 1955 | 1,343 |
| 1956 | 1,322 |
| 1957 | 1,278 |
| 1958 | 1,119 |
| 1959 | 1,169 |
| 1960 | 1,153 |
| 1961 | 1,059 |
| 1962 | 1,093 |
| 1963 | 1,031 |
| 1964 | 1,031 |
| 1965 | 1,084 |
| 1966 | 916 |
| 1967 | 988 |
| 1968 | 933 |
| 1969 | 1,008 |
| 1970 | 1,147 |
| 1971 | 1,225 |
| 1972 | 1,220 |
| 1973 | 1,412 |
| 1974 | 1,621 |
| 1975 | 1,987 |
| 1976 | 2,218 |
| 1977 | 2,521 |
| 1978 | 2,946 |
| 1979 | 3,066 |
| 1980 | 3,520 |
| 1981 | 3,745 |
| 1982 | 3,972 |
| 1983 | 3,671 |
| 1984 | 3,628 |
| 1985 | 4,028 |
| 1986 | 4,068 |
| 1987 | 4,081 |
| 1988 | 4,076 |
| 1989 | 4,135 |
| 1990 | 4,365 |
| 1991 | 4,375 |
| 1992 | 4,700 |
| 1993 | 4,863 |
| 1994 | 5,039 |
| 1995 | 5,216 |
| 1996 | 5,427 |
| 1997 | 5,781 |
| 1998 | 6,436 |
| 1999 | 6,478 |
| 2000 | 6,811 |
| 2001 | 6,662 |
| 2002 | 6,829 |
| 2003 | 6,671 |
| 2004 | 6,710 |
| 2005 | 6,696 |
| 2006 | 6,634 |
| 2007 | 6,075 |
| 2008 | 5,864 |
| 2009 | 5,435 |
| 2010 | 5,115 |
| 2011 | 4,991 |
| 2012 | 4,794 |
| 2013 | 4,543 |
| 2014 | 4,317 |
| 2015 | 4,233 |
| 2016 | 3,890 |
| 2017 | 3,540 |
| 2018 | 3,389 |
| 2019 | 3,094 |
| 2020 | 2,932 |
| 2021 | 2,825 |
| 2022 | 2,706 |
| 2023 | 2,526 |
| 2024 | 2,511 |
Nathaniel through the decades
- Nathaniel peaked in 2002, when 6,829 babies were named Nathaniel in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Nathaniel has fallen 42% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Nathaniel currently ranks #144 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
NateNathan
Variants & spellings
Nathanael
Famous people named Nathaniel
- Nathaniel Hawthorne — novelist