Boys' name · peaked in 2004
Nathan name popularity since 1925
574,479 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Nathan. Half of them were born in 1997 or earlier, so the typical Nathan is about 29 years old in 2026. Nathan peaked in 2004 as the #20 name for boys, and it ranked #63 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 574,479
- Named Nathan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #63
- for boys in 2025 (4,975 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 1,750 girls · 572,729 boys
- Most popular in
- Utah
- 2.09× its national share
Peak year is the year Nathan made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Nathan births per year, 1925–2025
2004 was the biggest year for Nathan both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1969 and 1974, Nathan became 3.5× more common, from 1 in 937 baby boys to 1 in 269.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Nathan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Nathan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Nathan in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 21 | 2,981 | – |
| 1930s | 20 | 4,699 | #248 |
| 1940s | 5 | 5,577 | #267 |
| 1950s | 31 | 10,126 | #232 |
| 1960s | 60 | 15,524 | #182 |
| 1970s | 355 | 65,857 | #45 |
| 1980s | 673 | 105,987 | #40 |
| 1990s | 220 | 107,332 | #39 |
| 2000s | 253 | 134,857 | #20 |
| 2010s | 87 | 88,034 | #38 |
| 2020–25 | 25 | 31,755 | #63 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
35.2% of babies named Nathan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Nathan is most popular
The index compares Nathan's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Nathan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Utah | 2.09× | 10,306 |
| New Hampshire | 1.77× | 3,212 |
| Alaska | 1.69× | 1,455 |
| Nevada | 1.64× | 3,383 |
| Idaho | 1.56× | 3,596 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Nathan and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan (this page) | 572,729 | 2004 |
| Nathen | 6,042 | 2005 |
| Nathon | 1,385 | 1906 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Nathan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Nathan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Nathan (2004).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data