Nathan
How to say it: NAY-thun · /ˈneɪθən/
From Hebrew Natan, meaning 'He (God) has given'. A biblical name borne by the prophet Nathan.
Nathan was the 69th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 4,975 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 2000s, its births are down about 38% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #84 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #69 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 4,975 |
| Share of births | 1 in 613 |
| Peak decade | 2000s |
| Change over 10 years | −38% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #84 |
| In France, 2025 | #47 among boys’ names, 1,235 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Nathan peaked in the 2000s and has since grown scarcer, now well under that height. The coming period points lower still.
What goes with it
Gentle consonants and a breathy finish lend Nathan a calm biblical steadiness. Nate serves as the everyday short form.
Middle names that flow with Nathan →
Nicknames
- Nate
- Nat
Honouring a Nathan in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Nathan is about 1 in 26.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish.
In France: #47 for boys in 2025.
England and Wales: #99. Ireland: #72.
Famous people named Nathan
- Nathan Fillion (born 1971)Canadian-American actor
- Nathan Aké (born 1995)Dutch footballer
- Nathan Lane (born 1956)American actor
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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