Nathanael
How to say it: nuh-THAN-yul · /nəˈθænjəl/
From Hebrew 'Netan'el' meaning 'God has given'; the original biblical spelling for one of the twelve apostles.
Nathanael was the 125th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 442 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 2000s, its births are down about 34% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #145 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 | #125 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 442 |
| Share of births | 1 in 1,045 |
| Peak decade | 2000s |
| Change over 10 years | −34% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #145 |
| In France, 2025 | #159 among boys’ names, 320 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Around the 2000s Nathanael found its greatest favor. Close to that level still, it is likely to soften a bit.
What goes with it
Long and lilting, Nathanael sounds soft with biblical roots. Nate gives a familiar short call and Ezra shares its mood.
Parents who love Nathanael also love
Nicknames
- Nate
- Nat
- Nathan
- Thane
Honouring a Nathanael in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Nathanael is about 1 in 44.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew.
In France: #159 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Nathanael
- Nathanael West (1903–1940)American writer and screenwriter
- Nathanael Greene (1742–1786)American general in the American Revolutionary War
- Nathanael Pringsheim (1823–1894)German botanist
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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