# Nathaniel (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/nathaniel/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “god has given” |
| Pronunciation | /nəˈθæn.jəl/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Nate, Nat, Nath, Nathe |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 288,265 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 287,103 / 1,162 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 12,512, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Modification, under influence of Daniel, of Nathanael, from Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).

## What it means

Nathaniel is grouped under gift.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 17 | 6,538 |
| 2002 | 16 | 6,953 |
| 2003 | 5 | 17,604 |
| 2004 | 35 | 4,069 |
| 2005 | 7 | 14,074 |
| 2006 | 8 | 13,260 |
| 2007 | 9 | 12,369 |
| 2008 | 8 | 13,454 |
| 2009 | 9 | 12,171 |
| 2010 | 6 | 16,377 |
| 2011 | 13 | 9,014 |
| 2013 | 6 | 15,976 |
| 2016 | 6 | 15,672 |
| 2020 | 6 | 14,611 |
| 2022 | 6 | 14,804 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4,980 | 84 |
| 2012 | 4,795 | 84 |
| 2013 | 4,538 | 91 |
| 2014 | 4,317 | 94 |
| 2015 | 4,234 | 97 |
| 2016 | 3,887 | 103 |
| 2017 | 3,541 | 112 |
| 2018 | 3,391 | 116 |
| 2019 | 3,097 | 122 |
| 2020 | 2,930 | 125 |
| 2021 | 2,834 | 133 |
| 2022 | 2,706 | 138 |
| 2023 | 2,533 | 143 |
| 2024 | 2,520 | 144 |
| 2025 | 2,565 | 140 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 535 | 119 |
| 2012 | 536 | 118 |
| 2013 | 469 | 127 |
| 2014 | 482 | 129 |
| 2015 | 517 | 124 |
| 2016 | 476 | 129 |
| 2017 | 400 | 145 |
| 2018 | 440 | 131 |
| 2019 | 411 | 137 |
| 2020 | 373 | 148 |
| 2021 | 346 | 157 |
| 2022 | 361 | 149 |
| 2023 | 294 | 174 |
| 2024 | 370 | 144 |
| 2025 | 361 | 149 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 納撒尼爾 /纳撒尼尔
- French: Nathaniel
- Italian: Nataniele

## People named Nathaniel

- Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer (1804–1864)
- Nathaniel Clyne, English association football player (born 1991)
- Nathaniel Chalobah, English footballer (born 1994)
- Nathaniel Brown, German association football player
- Nathaniel Lord Britton, American botanist and geologist (1859-1934)
- Nathaniel Palmer, American explorer (1799–1877)
- Nathaniel Parker, English actor (born 1962)
- Nathaniel Bliss, English astronomer (1700-1764)
- Nathaniel Buzolic, Australian actor
- Nathaniel P. Banks, American politician of Massachusetts and general of the Union Army (1816-1894)
- Nathaniel Lyon, first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War
- Nathaniel Cartmell, American athlete (1883-1967)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.