Nathan
Nathan was given to 4,975 boys in 2025, #63 among boys’ names; 589,271 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 538,000 Americans named Nathan and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (91% of everyone recorded); the median is 28 years old and half are between 18 and 41.
Nathan is the #46 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Nathan by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Nathan mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Nathan is “a male given name from Hebrew, of Biblical origin.” Its etymology gives the sense “gave” (נָתָן).
From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.
/ˈneɪθən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Nathan?
#63 among boys’ names, 2025
Nathan fell from #38 in 2015 to #63 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 4.5 to 2.9 per 1,000.
14,696 babies in 2004, the peak
Nathan peaked in 2004, when 14,696 babies were given it (14,634 boys, #20 among boys’ names). The 4,980 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 34% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,975 | #63 | 2.9 |
| 2024 | 5,029 | #62 | 2.9 |
| 2023 | 5,073 | #59 | 3.0 |
| 2022 | 5,544 | #57 | 3.2 |
| 2021 | 5,432 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 2020 | 5,702 | #55 | 3.3 |
| 2019 | 6,090 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 2018 | 6,850 | #48 | 3.8 |
| 2017 | 7,442 | #45 | 4.0 |
| 2016 | 8,000 | #43 | 4.2 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 8,600 | #38 | 4.5 |
| 2014 | 8,997 | #38 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | 9,721 | #31 | 5.1 |
| 2012 | 10,431 | #29 | 5.5 |
| 2011 | 10,523 | #28 | 5.5 |
| 2010 | 11,380 | #27 | 5.9 |
| 2009 | 12,135 | #25 | 6.1 |
| 2008 | 13,262 | #21 | 6.5 |
| 2007 | 13,605 | #24 | 6.6 |
| 2006 | 14,278 | #23 | 6.9 |
| 2005 | 14,365 | #20 | 7.2 |
| 2004 | 14,634 | #20 | 7.4 |
| 2003 | 13,667 | #26 | 6.9 |
| 2002 | 13,224 | #28 | 6.8 |
| 2001 | 12,647 | #31 | 6.5 |
| 2000 | 13,040 | #30 | 6.6 |
| 1999 | 12,538 | #32 | 6.5 |
| 1998 | 11,586 | #34 | 6.1 |
| 1997 | 10,442 | #34 | 5.5 |
| 1996 | 10,287 | #37 | 5.4 |
| 1995 | 10,306 | #39 | 5.4 |
| 1994 | 10,386 | #40 | 5.4 |
| 1993 | 10,199 | #41 | 5.2 |
| 1992 | 10,154 | #44 | 5.1 |
| 1991 | 10,500 | #42 | 5.2 |
| 1990 | 10,934 | #44 | 5.3 |
| 1989 | 10,904 | #43 | 5.4 |
| 1988 | 10,154 | #44 | 5.3 |
| 1987 | 9,910 | #45 | 5.3 |
| 1986 | 9,996 | #43 | 5.4 |
| 1985 | 10,653 | #40 | 5.8 |
| 1984 | 10,614 | #38 | 5.9 |
| 1983 | 10,557 | #40 | 5.9 |
| 1982 | 10,805 | #36 | 6.0 |
| 1981 | 11,256 | #36 | 6.3 |
| 1980 | 11,138 | #36 | 6.2 |
| 1979 | 10,719 | #37 | 6.2 |
| 1978 | 9,890 | #36 | 6.0 |
| 1977 | 9,886 | #36 | 6.0 |
| 1976 | 8,611 | #39 | 5.5 |
| 1975 | 7,069 | #45 | 4.5 |
| 1974 | 5,844 | #52 | 3.7 |
| 1973 | 4,734 | #63 | 3.0 |
| 1972 | 3,512 | #79 | 2.2 |
| 1971 | 3,047 | #104 | 1.7 |
| 1970 | 2,545 | #130 | 1.4 |
| 1969 | 1,908 | #154 | 1.1 |
| 1968 | 1,654 | #163 | 1.0 |
| 1967 | 1,432 | #180 | 0.82 |
| 1966 | 1,422 | #179 | 0.80 |
| 1965 | 1,417 | #182 | 0.76 |
| 1964 | 1,500 | #188 | 0.75 |
| 1963 | 1,540 | #194 | 0.76 |
| 1962 | 1,532 | #198 | 0.74 |
| 1961 | 1,489 | #199 | 0.70 |
| 1960 | 1,630 | #190 | 0.76 |
| 1959 | 1,378 | #207 | 0.65 |
| 1958 | 1,237 | #214 | 0.58 |
| 1957 | 1,225 | #215 | 0.57 |
| 1956 | 1,099 | #223 | 0.52 |
| 1955 | 950 | #232 | 0.46 |
| 1954 | 959 | #225 | 0.47 |
| 1953 | 806 | #237 | 0.41 |
| 1952 | 851 | #229 | 0.44 |
| 1951 | 870 | #222 | 0.46 |
| 1950 | 751 | #243 | 0.42 |
| 1949 | 660 | #251 | 0.37 |
| 1948 | 620 | #263 | 0.35 |
| 1947 | 617 | #273 | 0.34 |
| 1946 | 557 | #271 | 0.34 |
| 1945 | 488 | #267 | 0.36 |
| 1944 | 507 | #262 | 0.37 |
| 1943 | 581 | #244 | 0.41 |
| 1942 | 523 | #253 | 0.38 |
| 1941 | 527 | #243 | 0.43 |
| 1940 | 497 | #243 | 0.43 |
| 1939 | 468 | #246 | 0.42 |
| 1938 | 515 | #233 | 0.46 |
| 1937 | 434 | #258 | 0.41 |
| 1936 | 464 | #243 | 0.45 |
| 1935 | 468 | #248 | 0.45 |
| 1934 | 469 | #245 | 0.45 |
| 1933 | 413 | #259 | 0.42 |
| 1932 | 486 | #243 | 0.47 |
| 1931 | 442 | #258 | 0.43 |
| 1930 | 540 | #234 | 0.49 |
| 1929 | 513 | #239 | 0.48 |
| 1928 | 548 | #236 | 0.49 |
| 1927 | 636 | #210 | 0.56 |
| 1926 | 669 | #206 | 0.60 |
| 1925 | 615 | #219 | 0.55 |
| 1924 | 680 | #204 | 0.60 |
| 1923 | 739 | #187 | 0.67 |
| 1922 | 749 | #185 | 0.69 |
| 1921 | 751 | #186 | 0.68 |
| 1920 | 815 | #172 | 0.77 |
| 1919 | 849 | #156 | 0.87 |
| 1918 | 945 | #150 | 0.93 |
| 1917 | 881 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1916 | 904 | #143 | 1.0 |
| 1915 | 916 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1914 | 848 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1913 | 615 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1912 | 581 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1911 | 348 | #109 | 1.5 |
| 1910 | 245 | #135 | 1.3 |
| 1909 | 209 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 1908 | 178 | #137 | 1.2 |
| 1907 | 176 | #136 | 1.2 |
| 1906 | 148 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1905 | 168 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1904 | 131 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1903 | 146 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1902 | 143 | #136 | 1.2 |
| 1901 | 131 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1900 | 186 | #126 | 1.2 |
| 1899 | 112 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1898 | 99 | #167 | 0.81 |
| 1897 | 139 | #119 | 1.2 |
| 1896 | 110 | #152 | 0.92 |
| 1895 | 119 | #136 | 1.0 |
| 1894 | 127 | #126 | 1.1 |
| 1893 | 114 | #132 | 1.0 |
| 1892 | 144 | #118 | 1.2 |
| 1891 | 106 | #131 | 1.0 |
| 1890 | 110 | #130 | 1.0 |
| 1889 | 121 | #117 | 1.1 |
| 1888 | 129 | #124 | 1.1 |
| 1887 | 106 | #125 | 1.0 |
| 1886 | 136 | #115 | 1.2 |
| 1885 | 103 | #132 | 1.0 |
| 1884 | 100 | #141 | 0.87 |
| 1883 | 93 | #132 | 0.89 |
| 1882 | 113 | #124 | 1.0 |
| 1881 | 91 | #136 | 0.90 |
| 1880 | 114 | #115 | 1.0 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Nathan a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Nathan has been given almost only to boys: 1,774 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Nathan: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Nathan, and how old are they?
538,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 91% of the 589,271 Americans ever recorded as Nathan. The median Nathan alive today is 28 years old; half are between 18 and 41.
The 2020 Census counted 481,621 people named Nathan (627 women and girls, 480,994 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 517,102 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,750 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 14,100 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 77,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 160,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 199,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 86,900 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Nathan born?
The states with the most babies named Nathan are California, Texas and Florida, with 37% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 762 | #40 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 683 | #44 | 0.9× |
| Florida | 394 | #43 | 0.8× |
| New York | 329 | #48 | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 199 | #35 | 0.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 169 | #67 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 158 | #73 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 155 | #69 | 1.0× |
| Virginia | 142 | #56 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 129 | #88 | 0.7× |
Where Nathan is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Nathan is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Nathan with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 598,755 babies since 1880, Nathan is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 4,980 of their 5,036 babies (99%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Nathan
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Nathan and names like it
- Compare Nathan and NathenBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sNathan peaked in 2004.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Nathan since 1910.
- The top names of 2004The year the most babies were named Nathan.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Nathan alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with NMost given first.