How common is the surname Nathan?

8,300 people in the United States had the surname Nathan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 37,198 Americans. It ranked 4,284th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Nathan?

George Jean Nathan, American drama critic and magazine editor (1882–1958), followed by Matthew Nathan.

Where is the surname Nathan most common?

Wikidata records people named Nathan in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

How do you pronounce Nathan?

Nathan is /ˈneɪθən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Nathan getting more or less common?

More common. 7,369 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,300 in 2010, up 13%.

Is Nathan also a first name?

Yes. Nathan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Nathan

A patronymic surname, carried by 8,300 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈneɪθən/ 2 syllables Soundex N350 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Nathan is more common than 97.4% of them.

Origin

From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.

Nathan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 8,300 people named Nathan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 37,198 Americans. That is up 13% since 2000, when the Census counted 7,369.

#4,284

rank among US surnames

8,300

people in 2010

2.8

per 100,000 Americans

+12.6%

change since 2000 (was #4,444)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#4,280	Ballinger	8,306	37,171
#4,281	Vanmeter	8,305	37,176
#4,282	Lieberman	8,302	37,189
#4,284	Nathan	8,300	37,198

Who is named Nathan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

57% of people named Nathan identified as white (not Hispanic), 27% as Black (not Hispanic) and 9.5% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

White (not Hispanic) 57%
Black (not Hispanic) 27%
Asian and Pacific Islander 9.5%
Two or more races 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Nathans

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

George Jean Nathan
American drama critic and magazine editor (1882–1958)
Matthew Nathan
British colonial administrator (1862–1939)
DeDee Nathan
American heptathlete, born 1968
Joe Nathan
American baseball pitcher, born 1974
Isaac Nathan
Anglo-Australian composer, musicologist, journalist and self-publicist, 1790–1864
Maud Nathan
American activist (1862-1946)
Robert Nathan
American novelist and poet (1894-1985)
Tonie Nathan
American politician, 1923–2014

Notable Nathans come mostly from the United States (6), the United Kingdom (1) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Nathan

Nation

Nathan has the Soundex code N350, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N350.

Questions

Where does the surname Nathan come from?: From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.
How common is the surname Nathan?: 8,300 people in the United States had the surname Nathan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 37,198 Americans. It ranked 4,284th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Nathan?: In the 2010 Census, 57% of people named Nathan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 27% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Nathan?: George Jean Nathan, American drama critic and magazine editor (1882–1958), followed by Matthew Nathan.
Where is the surname Nathan most common?: Wikidata records people named Nathan in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
How do you pronounce Nathan?: Nathan is /ˈneɪθən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Nathan?: Nathan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Nathan getting more or less common?: More common. 7,369 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,300 in 2010, up 13%.
Is Nathan also a first name?: Yes. Nathan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.