Nathaniel

Meaning: God has given
Origin: English (from Hebrew via Greek)

Nicknames: Nate

Boy's name · #140 in the US (2025) · 2000s wave

Popularity over time

Nathaniel reached its best rank, #60, in 1998 and ranked #140 in 2025. About 287,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Nathaniel is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 49 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

Nathaniel is especially popular in Philippines.

#1 in Philippines (2024) · #140 in New Zealand (2025) · #149 in England & Wales (2025) · #170 in Norway (2025) · #200 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #228 in N. Ireland (2025) · #230 in Ireland (2025) · #242 in Poland (2025) · #277 in Scotland (2025) · #419 in Sweden (2025) · #567 in Switzerland (2025) · #628 in Austria (2025) and 5 more.

Famous Nathaniels

Nathaniel Hawthorne — American author (1804–1864)
Nathaniel Clyne — English association football player (born 1991)
Nathaniel Chalobah — English association football player (born 1994)
Nathaniel Atkinson — Australian association football player
Nathaniel Lord Britton — American botanist and geologist (1859–1934)

In stories & tradition

Nathaniel (Kang the Conqueror) — Avengers
Nathaniel (Mister Sinister) — The New Mutants (film)
Nathaniel — Bartimaeus Sequence (novel series)

What Nathaniels become

Among 1,000 notable people named Nathaniel:

Lawyers & judges appear 2.37× more often than among typical names — e.g. Nathaniel Chipman, American judge (1752–1843).

Spellings & nicknames

About 100 boys a year are given Nate as their full name.

Similar names: Evan · Nathan · Jordan · Alex · Zachary · Nathanael

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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