Ethanael
A masculine name derived from Hebrew meaning "God is firm/steadfast".
Name Census estimates that about 95 living Americans carry the first name Ethanael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ethanael today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ethanael births was 2006 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ethanael. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ethanael. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
95
~ 1 in 3,607,940 Americans
Peak year
2006
17 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,806
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Ethanael: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ethanael from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ethanael remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ethanael by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ethanael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ethanael
The name Ethanael has its origins in Hebrew, derived from the elements "ethan" meaning "firm, enduring" and "el" meaning "God." It is a variation of the biblical name Nathanael, which appears in the Gospel of John as one of the first disciples called by Jesus.
In ancient Hebrew texts, the name Ethanael is associated with strength, resilience, and a steadfast faith in God. It was a popular name among the Israelites during biblical times, particularly in the regions of Judea and Galilee.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ethanael can be found in the Book of Ezra, written around the 5th century BCE, where it is mentioned as the name of a Levite. However, the name gained wider recognition through its association with the apostle Nathanael in the New Testament.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ethanael. One of the most prominent was Ethanael ben Abraham of Troki (1505-1585), a renowned Lithuanian Jewish scholar and Kabbalist. His works, such as "Pethach Devarai" and "Qaneh Hochmah," had a significant impact on Jewish mystical thought.
Another historical figure with the name Ethanael was Ethanael ibn al-Bārizī (1270-1349), an Egyptian scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on logic, mathematics, and astronomy. His treatises, including "Al-Taqrib li-Ilm al-Usul," were highly influential in the Islamic intellectual tradition.
In the realm of Christian theology, Ethanael Petri (1610-1687) was a Swedish Lutheran clergyman and author who wrote several influential works on biblical interpretation and Christian ethics, such as "Exercitationes Hebraicae" and "Thesaurus Theologicus."
Another notable figure was Ethanael Ring (1588-1655), a German Protestant theologian and professor at the University of Greifswald. He authored numerous theological works, including "Systema Universae Theologiae" and "Institutiones Catecheticae."
Lastly, Ethanael Coxer (1674-1729) was an English churchman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Wiltshire. He is known for his polemical writings against Deism and his defense of Christianity, such as "Vindication of the Reformation" and "Discourse of Free-Thinking."
People
Ethanael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ethanael as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ethanael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ethanael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 95 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ethanael going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,607,940 US residents.
Is Ethanael a common name?
We classify Ethanael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ethanael most popular?
The single biggest year for Ethanael was 2006, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ethanael is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ethanael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ethanael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ethanael in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ethanael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ethanael in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ethanael can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Ethanael?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.