Boys' name · since 1880

Nathan

Nathan has 587,497 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2004 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#57 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#63 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
587,497
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade

Nathan currently ranks #63 among boys' names in America, with 587,497 babies recorded since 1880.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nathan has been recorded 587,497 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #63 nationally and more common than 99.5% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #57 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #63 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 587,497 born since 1880
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nathan ranks #57 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #63 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 587,497 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.

#57 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#63 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
587,497
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%99.5%
Nathan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Nathan's 587,497 recorded births place it above 99.87% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

51 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Nathan compares

587,497 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Nathan's all-time total is 1,592x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Nathan Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 587,497 369 358,536
Peak-year births 14,634 34 22,252

Nathan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Nathan's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 95% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 5%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 91 births recorded -- set against the 2004 peak of 14,634, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Nathan popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Top 100 boys' name
Peak year (2004)
14,634
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
05,00010,00015,00020,000 188018991918193719561975199420132025 4,975

Nathan popularity over time - girls

1,774 total births recorded since 1915 (Nathan as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 1,774 births
020406080100 191519431968197819881998200820182025 5

Nathan by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (134,857 births, 23% of the file).

2000s was Nathan's strongest decade.

134,857 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.

Nathan births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 134,857 births (23% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Nathan compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Nathan's total volume

Nathan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 1%2%3%4%5%6% 125130135140145150 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 2%-146, 2.2%-146, 4.1%-146, 5%-146, 2.5%-146, 3%-146, 3.1%-146, 4%-126, 4.6%-146, 2.6%-146, 1.9%-146, 2.1%-146, 3.9%-146, 1.6%-146, 2.1%Nathan-146, 2.5%Nathan
Nathan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Nathan by state

Where Nathan concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Nathan
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
75,337 12.8%
#2 Texas
46,829 8.0%
#3 Ohio
27,597 4.7%
#4 Pennsylvania
27,563 4.7%
#5 New York
27,076 4.6%
#6 Illinois
26,623 4.5%
#7 Michigan
23,446 4.0%
#8 Florida
21,128 3.6%
California share of Nathan's total US births 12.8%
Even split

75,337 of 587,497 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Nathan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Nathan? ▼
587,497 babies have been named Nathan since 1880. All-time, it sits at #57 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #63 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2004 with 14,634 births.
Where does Nathan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nathan ranks #57 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #63 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Nathan most popular? ▼
Nathan was most popular in the 2000s decade with 134,857 total births. The single peak year was 2004.
Where is Nathan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nathan are California (75,337 births), Texas (46,829 births), Ohio (27,597 births).
How long has the name Nathan been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Nathan since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Nathan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nathaniel, Nathanael, Nathanial, Nathen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Nathan's data

  • Nathan's decade-level peak was the 2000s (134,857 total births); usage has since declined to 31,755 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Nathans (75,337 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Nathan

Nearby Names Like Nathan

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nathan

Nathaniel Boy
#140 287,103 births
Nathanael Boy
#632 22,227 births
Nathanial Boy
#3455 10,578 births
Nathen Boy
#3964 6,146 births
Nate Boy
#1746 4,490 births

Compare Nathan side by side: Nathan vs Nathaniel Nathan vs Nathanael Nathan vs Nathanial

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Nathan

Aiden #62
257,765 births · Peak 2009
Brooks #64
57,946 births · Peak 2025
Ezekiel #61
83,605 births · Peak 2022
Nolan #65
135,505 births · Peak 2015
Beau #60
65,592 births · Peak 2025
Joshua #66
1,248,929 births · Peak 1989
Rowan #59
50,628 births · Peak 2025
Angel #67
265,886 births · Peak 2006

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Nathan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Nathan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.