Total births
287,103
Boys' name · since 1880
Nathaniel
287,103 babies named Nathaniel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2002. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #144
- among boys today
- 287,103
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Nathaniel is the #144 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 287,103 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nathaniel has been recorded 287,103 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #144 nationally and more common than 99% 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.
- #144 among boys today
- 287,103 born since 1880
- 2000s peak decade
- 99% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Nathaniel is currently the #144 boys' name in America, more common than 99% of boys - 287,103 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.
- #144
- among boys today
- 287,103
- born since 1880
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Nathaniel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#144
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Nathaniel was born in this single decade.
2002
Single peak year
6,813 babies were named Nathaniel in 2002 - its busiest year on record.
How Nathaniel compares
287,103 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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
Nathaniel's all-time total is 782x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nathaniel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 287,103 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 6,813 | 23 | 22,252 |
Nathaniel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Nathaniel's full recorded timeline at 1953, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1897, with just 43 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2002 peak of 6,813 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Nathaniel at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2002
Current rank
#144
Active since
1880
Nathaniel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2002)
- 6,813
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Nathaniel popularity over time - girls
1,162 total births recorded since 1915 (Nathaniel as girls' name)
Nathaniel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Nathaniel's strongest decade.
64,264 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Nathaniel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 551
1880s
551 births
- 1890s 684
1890s
684 births
- 1900s 1,143
1900s
1,143 births
- 1910s 4,795
1910s
4,795 births
- 1920s 7,794
1920s
7,794 births
- 1930s 7,411
1930s
7,411 births
- 1940s 9,489
1940s
9,489 births
- 1950s 12,389
1950s
12,389 births
- 1960s 10,191
1960s
10,191 births
- 1970s 19,185
1970s
19,185 births
- 1980s
1980s
38,652 births
- 1990s
1990s
52,577 births
- 2000s
2000s
64,264 births
- 2010s
2010s
41,890 births
- 2020s 16,088
2020s
16,088 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 64,264 births (22% of all-time use).
How Nathaniel 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 Nathaniel's total volume
Nathaniel vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Nathaniel by state
Where Nathaniel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 29,564 | 10.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 20,974 | 7.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 16,996 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Florida | | 14,345 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 12,340 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 12,043 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 11,968 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 10,830 | 3.8% |
California share of Nathaniel's total US births 10.3%
Even split
29,564 of 287,103 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Nathaniel appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nathaniel? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 287,103 babies named Nathaniel. Today it holds rank #144 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2002, with 6,813 births.
When was Nathaniel most popular? ▼
Nathaniel was most popular in the 2000s decade with 64,264 total births. The single peak year was 2002.
Where is Nathaniel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Nathaniel are California (29,564 births), Texas (20,974 births), New York (16,996 births).
How long has the name Nathaniel been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Nathaniel since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Nathaniel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Nathan, Nathanael, Nathanial, Nathen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Nathaniel's data
- Nathaniel's decade-level peak was the 2000s (64,264 total births); usage has since declined to 16,088 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Nathaniels (29,564 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nathaniel
Nearby Names Like Nathaniel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Nathaniel
Nathan Boy
#62 587,497 births
Nathanael Boy
#674 22,227 births
Nathanial Boy
#3694 10,578 births
Nathen Boy
#5255 6,146 births
Nate Boy
#1564 4,490 births
Compare Nathaniel side by side: Nathaniel vs Nathan Nathaniel vs Nathanael Nathaniel vs Nathanial
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nathaniel
Evan #143
287,701 births · Peak 2007
Diego #145
126,160 births · Peak 2006
Dean #142
192,930 births · Peak 1961
Arlo #146
24,245 births · Peak 2024
Leon #141
182,638 births · Peak 1924
Bryson #147
83,241 births · Peak 2017
Calvin #140
221,064 births · Peak 1924
Jason #148
1,052,030 births · Peak 1977
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Nathaniel: #144 Boys' Name - 287,103 Births, Peak 2002." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/nathaniel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Nathaniel 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 June 2026.