Nathaniel

“God has given” — Hebrew via Greek origin

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

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. Nate is a short form of Nathaniel.

Around the world: #1 in Philippines (2024).

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

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
Nathaniel — Bartimaeus Sequence

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, United States federal judge (1752-1843).

Similar names: Ian · Nathan · Evan · Jordan · Alex · Joel

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

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