Nathan
From the Hebrew Natan, he gave, shortened from names such as Jonathan and Nathaniel that credit the gift to God. A prophet of that name rebuked King David.
Nathan in 2025
Nathan was given to 4,980 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 105th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 666 babies born.
The history of Nathan
Nathan reached its highest point in 2004, when 14,696 babies were given the name, ranking 28th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 589,271 babies have been named Nathan. Half of them were born before 1996, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Nathan by decade
| Decade | Babies named Nathan | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,106 | 250 |
| 1890s | 1,180 | 332 |
| 1900s | 1,616 | 358 |
| 1910s | 7,144 | 290 |
| 1920s | 6,748 | 403 |
| 1930s | 4,719 | 509 |
| 1940s | 5,582 | 523 |
| 1950s | 10,157 | 434 |
| 1960s | 15,584 | 321 |
| 1970s | 66,212 | 60 |
| 1980s | 106,660 | 62 |
| 1990s | 107,552 | 46 |
| 2000s | 135,110 | 28 |
| 2010s | 88,121 | 36 |
| 2020s | 31,780 | 85 |
Where Nathan is heading
Nathan has fallen 42% over the past decade, from 8,609 babies in 2015 to 4,980 in 2025.
Names like Nathan
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Nathan.