Nathan
Nathan was the 63rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,975 babies. Its best year was 2004, when it ranked 20th with 14,634 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 25 places. More babies were named Nathan in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning he (God) gave · Hebrew
Say it NAY-thuhn /ˈneɪθən/
- Rank in 2025
- #63 boys, down 8 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,975boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200414,634 babies
- Total since 1880
- 589,271babies recorded
What does the name Nathan mean?
Nathan is a Hebrew name from a verb meaning 'to give', usually understood as '(God) has given'. In the Bible it belongs to the prophet who advises and rebukes King David, and to one of David's sons. Wiktionary also notes it is used as a short form of Jonathan and of Nathaniel, which share the same root. DMNES dates its use as a Christian first name to 16th-century Protestants and finds it in an English record of 1567.
נָתָן (Biblical Hebrew, “he gave”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Nate, Natan, Nathaniel, Jonathan.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean gift.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Nathan', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, II Samuel 7:2, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nathan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Nathan
The usual nicknames for Nathan are Nate and Nat. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Nathan in the last five years, 2 were named Nate, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nate · also for Neythan, Nathaniel, Nathanael | Traditional | #1,748 | 522 |
| Nat · also for Natalie, Natalia, Nathaniel | Traditional | — | 5 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Nathans go by each one.
Nathan popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,774 since 1915, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #63 | 4,975 |
| 2020 | #55 | 5,702 |
| 2010 | #27 | 11,380 |
| 2000 | #30 | 13,040 |
| 1990 | #44 | 10,934 |
| 1980 | #36 | 11,138 |
| 1970 | #130 | 2,545 |
| 1960 | #190 | 1,630 |
| 1950 | #243 | 751 |
| 1940 | #243 | 497 |
| 1930 | #234 | 540 |
| 1920 | #172 | 815 |
| 1910 | #135 | 245 |
| 1900 | #126 | 186 |
| 1890 | #130 | 110 |
| 1880 | #115 | 114 |
How popular is Nathan, counting every spelling?
Nathan is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #68 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #63 for Nathan on its own. Together these spellings went to 5,002 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan | 4,975 | #63 | 26,053 |
| Nathen | 27 | #4,012 | 121 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nathan?
4,975 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nathan (1.38 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Nathan born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 39. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nathan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nathan?
About 536,600 people born in the US named Nathan are alive today, with a median age of 28; half are between 18 and 41. That makes Nathan mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nathan by state
How common Nathan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (2.1×), Connecticut (1.8×), Maryland (1.8×), New Jersey (1.8×), Massachusetts (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Maine, Vermont, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nathan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nathan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nathan · Sibling names for Nathan
Nathan is also a nickname for Nathaniel.
Questions about the name Nathan
What does Nathan mean?
Nathan means “he (God) gave” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Nathan?
Nathan was the 63rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,975 babies. Its best year was 2004, when it ranked 20th with 14,634 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 25 places. More babies were named Nathan in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Nathan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Nathan in the US.
Where is Nathan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nathan was most common in Delaware (6.33 per 1,000 boys), followed by Connecticut and Maryland.