Boys' name · peaked in 1998
Nathanael name popularity since 1925
22,215 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Nathanael. Half of them were born in 2001 or earlier, so the typical Nathanael is about 25 years old in 2026. Nathanael peaked in 1998 as the #406 name for boys, and it ranked #632 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 22,215
- Named Nathanael, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #632
- for boys in 2025 (442 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% boys
- 17 girls · 22,198 boys
- Most popular in
- Oregon
- 2.03× its national share
Peak year is the year Nathanael 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.
Nathanael births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2000. Measured as a share of all babies, Nathanael peaked in 1998.
- Fastest rise: Between 1973 and 1978, Nathanael became 2.5× more common, from 1 in 15,600 baby boys to 1 in 6,270.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Nathanael's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Nathanael.
Decade by decade
Babies named Nathanael 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 | 0 | 13 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 50 | #2,874 |
| 1940s | 0 | 63 | #2,914 |
| 1950s | 0 | 78 | #3,408 |
| 1960s | 0 | 174 | #2,574 |
| 1970s | 0 | 1,491 | #634 |
| 1980s | 12 | 3,514 | #458 |
| 1990s | 0 | 4,606 | #467 |
| 2000s | 0 | 5,712 | #448 |
| 2010s | 0 | 4,292 | #580 |
| 2020–25 | 5 | 2,205 | #632 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
39.4% of babies named Nathanael from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Nathanael is most popular
The index compares Nathanael'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 Nathanael.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 2.03× | 371 |
| Washington | 1.94× | 630 |
| Arizona | 1.82× | 458 |
| Colorado | 1.67× | 400 |
| Florida | 1.65× | 1,161 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Nathanael 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nathanael (this page) | 22,198 | 1998 |
| Nathaniel | 276,024 | 2002 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Nathanael's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Nathanael.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Nathanael (1998).
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