Nathaniel

Last seen for girls in 2022 at #13,592 · #140 for boys in 2025, 2,565 births
Given to boys 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1998 · 6,427 births
Debut · boys
60 births
In top 100 · boys
38 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
287,103
since 1880

Nathaniel over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201997peak #60, 1998boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1402,565
2024#1442,520
2023#1432,533
2022#13,5926#1382,706
2021#1332,834
2020#13,4536#1252,930
2019#1223,097
2018#1163,391
2017#1123,541
2016#14,3316#1033,887
2015#964,234
2014#944,317
2013#14,5826#914,538
2012#844,795
2011#8,61413#844,980
2010#14,9596#815,110
2009#11,4599#755,426
2008#12,5798#775,858
2007#11,6309#826,067
2006#12,4208#696,627
2005#13,0107#676,689
2004#3,98935#686,675
2003#15,7845#636,666
2002#6,69816#626,813
2001#6,32217#616,646
2000#7,15814#616,797
1999#7,71612#626,467
1998#9,2609#606,427
1997#12,0706#655,775
1996#10,5677#695,420
1995#6,64113#735,203
1994#8,12210#785,029
1993#8,7199#754,854
1992#6,65213#794,687
1991#9,3368#844,367
1990#5,28617#864,348
1989#5,54515#844,121
1988#4,01522#814,054
1987#3,03131#784,050
1986#2,62037#784,032
1985#3,41925#774,004
1984#3,23326#803,600
1983#2,85330#793,641
1982#2,70434#743,939
1981#3,25326#803,719
1980#3,06928#863,492
1979#3,14726#953,040
1978#3,51221#942,925
1977#3,36622#1072,500
1976#6,6118#1142,209
1975#2,56530#1311,957
1974#4,72012#1531,609
1973#3,12221#1691,391
1972#4,52312#1921,208
1971#3,94315#2001,210
1970#4,76111#2181,136
1969#3,31817#231991
1968#4,22211#235921
1967#4,30010#226976
1966#3,55813#235903
1965#3,54913#2231,071
1964#5,0088#2361,023
1963#5,8916#2331,026
1962#4,8658#2341,085
1961#4,23910#2441,049
1960#4,7738#2391,146
1959#3,82711#2351,159
1958#3,08515#2351,102
1957#2,82317#2131,262
1956#3,69611#2051,309
1955#3,22513#1951,334
1954#3,49011#2031,228
1953#3,26912#1931,267
1952#3,04013#1881,258
1951#3,10612#1871,247
1950#2,90913#1821,223
1949#3,8928#1791,192
1948#3,13711#1801,159
1947#4,7646#1871,100
1946#3,21710#186977
1945#181853
1944#3,1399#183864
1943#4,1966#191839
1942#4,6225#188843
1941#4,4205#182829
1940#2,57211#176833
1939#4,2505#183770
1938#186749
1937#4,2555#186703
1936#3,1038#179738
1935#3,4317#180747
1934#3,1598#174782
1933#3,1098#178728
1932#3,2748#176781
1931#4,3315#199659
1930#3,6587#185754
1929#3,6827#184760
1928#2,62312#193728
1927#3,05310#187769
1926#4,3066#176821
1925#3,11610#178810
1924#3,6658#179800
1923#193721
1922#175800
1921#187748
1920#166837
1919#3,8177#174748
1918#193661
1917#4,0836#189640
1916#193590
1915#4,2745#197554
1914#185470
1913#201337
1912#163356
1911#161207
1910#139232
1909#172143
1908#159150
1907#174124
1906#177101
1905#167117
1904#174105
1903#165105
1902#18988
1901#16392
1900#176118
1899#18972
1898#17590
1897#27243
1896#20673
1895#19972
1894#19277
1893#22458
1892#19678
1891#23746
1890#17875
1889#23348
1888#22163
1887#20357
1886#22059
1885#22054
1884#22156
1883#22149
1882#21757
1881#22048
1880#20060
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Nathaniel was already there! It came in at #200, and was given to 60 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1897, when fewer than 44 boys a year got the name.

See more about Nathaniel
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 4 spots since 2024 (#144#140)
  • 15 spots since 2020 (#125#140)
  • 44 spots since 2015 (#96#140)
  • Biggest jump: 97 spots in 1898 (#272#175)
  • Biggest drop: 66 spots in 1897 (#206#272)
Rise & fade · boys
118 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1998 at #60 (6,427 births)
  • Births halved by 2019, 21 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 38 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 38 yrs · run 1978–2015
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 285
  • Highest: 1 in 285 boys born in 2002 were named Nathaniel (0.35%)
  • Latest: 1 in 666 boys born in 2025 (0.15%)
  • Its best rank, #60 in 1998, was only 1 in 297 (0.34%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2000s
  • 22.4% of all boys named Nathaniel (64,264) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s551#200 (1880)#218
1890s684#175 (1898)#207
1900s1,143#159 (1908)#172
1910s4,795#139 (1910)#180
1920s7,794#166 (1920)#182
1930s7,411#174 (1934)#183
1940s9,489#176 (1940)#183
1950s12,389#182 (1950)#204
1960s10,191#223 (1965)#234
1970s19,185#94 (1978)#147
1980s38,652#74 (1982)#80
1990s52,577#60 (1998)#73
2000s64,264#61 (2000)#69
2010s41,890#81 (2010)#98
2020s16,088#125 (2020)#137

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Nathaniel in 1997

girls
#12,070
6 births · 1 in 290,118 girls
boys
#65
5,775 births · 1 in 326 boys

Top girls' names in 1997

  1. #1Emily25,734
  2. #2Jessica21,045
  3. #3Ashley20,897
  4. #4Sarah20,716
  5. #5Hannah20,597
  6. #6Samantha20,170
  7. #7Taylor19,504
  8. #8Alexis17,171
  9. #9Elizabeth15,430
  10. #10Madison15,189
  11. #12,070Nathaniel6

Top boys' names in 1997

  1. #1Michael37,562
  2. #2Jacob34,163
  3. #3Matthew31,517
  4. #4Christopher29,108
  5. #5Joshua28,289
  6. #6Nicholas27,258
  7. #7Andrew25,208
  8. #8Brandon25,197
  9. #9Austin25,118
  10. #10Tyler24,879
  11. #65Nathaniel5,775
More about 1997

girls

1,740,710 girls got a published name in 1997; 1 in 290,118 of them was named Nathaniel, which outranked 25.3% of the 16,163 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nathaniel
  1. #10,836Zikeya7
  2. #10,836Zoraya7
  3. #10,836Zuly7
  4. #12,070Nathaniel6
  5. #12,070Aalexis6
  6. #12,070Aalexus6
  7. #12,070Aalia6
  8. #13,724Aalaiyah5
  9. #13,724Aalyssa5
  10. #13,724Aasia5

Tied with 1,653 names at #12,070; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1996
Risers
  1. 9,582Yulisa#10,567#985
  2. 3,882Yulissa#4,306#424
  3. 2,634Tea#3,429#795
  4. 2,046Taya#2,901#855
  5. 1,202Julisa#1,930#728
Fallers
  1. 931Yamilex#707#1,638
  2. 477Suzette#998#1,475
  3. 457Chynna#834#1,291
  4. 396Moesha#547#943
  5. 377Daijah#975#1,352

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,885,140 boys got a published name in 1997; 1 in 326 of them was named Nathaniel, which outranked 99.4% of the 10,814 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nathaniel
  1. #62Trevor6,001
  2. #63Jesse5,920
  3. #64Jeremy5,803
  4. #65Nathaniel5,775
  5. #66Dakota5,664
  6. #67Carlos5,463
  7. #68Stephen5,414
Biggest movers since 1996
Risers
  1. 1,420Jaret#2,145#725
  2. 712Kobe#1,265#553
  3. 580Ronaldo#1,465#885
  4. 420Jarett#1,334#914
  5. 416Gianni#1,093#677
Fallers
  1. 562Shaquille#662#1,224
  2. 373Dalvin#977#1,350
  3. 355Montel#990#1,345
  4. 328Codie#884#1,212
  5. 328Jair#884#1,212

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1997