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
#60
1998 · 6,427 births
Debut · boys
1880
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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020202002peak #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 2002

girls
#6,698
16 births · 1 in 112,305 girls
boys
#62
6,813 births · 1 in 285 boys

Top girls' names in 2002

  1. #1Emily24,470
  2. #2Madison21,774
  3. #3Hannah18,828
  4. #4Emma16,558
  5. #5Alexis15,636
  6. #6Ashley15,344
  7. #7Abigail15,303
  8. #8Sarah14,779
  9. #9Samantha14,671
  10. #10Olivia14,631
  11. #6,698Nathaniel16

Top boys' names in 2002

  1. #1Jacob30,586
  2. #2Michael28,258
  3. #3Joshua25,998
  4. #4Matthew25,154
  5. #5Ethan22,113
  6. #6Andrew22,037
  7. #7Joseph21,920
  8. #8Christopher21,689
  9. #9Nicholas21,390
  10. #10Daniel21,352
  11. #62Nathaniel6,813
More about 2002

girls

1,796,882 girls got a published name in 2002; 1 in 112,305 of them was named Nathaniel, which outranked 63.0% of the 18,086 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nathaniel
  1. #6,392Ziona17
  2. #6,392Zurisadai17
  3. #6,392Zyria17
  4. #6,698Nathaniel16
  5. #6,698Aalliyah16
  6. #6,698Abbegail16
  7. #6,698Abi16
  8. #7,045Aalyssa15
  9. #7,045Abagael15
  10. #7,045Abaigeal15

Tied with 346 names at #6,698; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2001
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,168Cadence#2,126 → #958
  2. ↑ 949Lisbeth#1,573 → #624
  3. ↑ 710Ashanti#825 → #115
  4. ↑ 464Elle#1,076 → #612
  5. ↑ 412Nyla#865 → #453
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,141Citlalli#609 → #1,750
  2. ↓ 748Nallely#772 → #1,520
  3. ↓ 617Dafne#967 → #1,584
  4. ↓ 582Beyonce#700 → #1,282
  5. ↓ 540Mikaila#928 → #1,468

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

boys

1,941,514 boys got a published name in 2002; 1 in 285 of them was named Nathaniel, which outranked 99.5% of the 12,489 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Nathaniel
  1. #59Sean7,028
  2. #60Aidan6,954
  3. #61Gavin6,951
  4. #62Nathaniel6,813
  5. #63Alex6,807
  6. #64Bryan6,617
  7. #65Carlos6,592
Biggest movers since 2001
Risers
  1. ↑ 10,021Omarion#10,556 → #535
  2. ↑ 3,583Amarion#4,302 → #719
  3. ↑ 3,370Yahir#3,974 → #604
  4. ↑ 1,466Gael#2,185 → #719
  5. ↑ 1,287Lisandro#2,185 → #898
Fallers
  1. ↓ 546Daunte#968 → #1,514
  2. ↓ 405Imanol#921 → #1,326
  3. ↓ 376Shemar#594 → #970
  4. ↓ 347Jade#958 → #1,305
  5. ↓ 311Jalon#873 → #1,184

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

See the top 100 for 2002 →