Jathniel
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "God bestows gifts".
Name Census estimates that about 171 living Americans carry the first name Jathniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jathniel today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jathniel births was 2023 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jathniel. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jathniel with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
171
~ 1 in 2,004,411 Americans
Peak year
2023
20 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,965
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Jathniel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jathniel from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 89 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jathniel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jathniel 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 Jathniel 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 Jathniel
The name Jathniel has its origins in Hebrew culture and language, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew words "yathan" meaning "gift" and "el" referring to God, thus translating to "God's gift." This suggests the name may have been given to children as a symbolic expression of gratitude to the divine.
In the Bible, the name Jathniel appears in the Book of Chronicles as the name of a Levite who assisted in transporting the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem during the reign of King David. This reference places the name's usage as early as the 10th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jathniel was a Jewish scholar and commentator who lived in the 11th century CE in medieval Spain. He is known for his works on Hebrew grammar and his interpretations of biblical texts.
In the 17th century, Jathniel Bingham was an English Puritan minister and author who published several religious treatises and sermons. He was born in 1619 and died in 1688.
During the late 18th century, Jathniel Pease was a prominent American merchant and ship owner from Massachusetts. He played a significant role in the maritime trade between New England and the West Indies, contributing to the economic growth of the region.
In the 19th century, Jathniel Harris was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Freemasons' Hall and the Church of St. Saviour in Southwark. He lived from 1804 to 1879.
Another notable figure was Jathniel Sumner, an American politician and lawyer from Massachusetts. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1837 and later became a judge in the state's Supreme Judicial Court.
While the name Jathniel has Hebrew origins and biblical references, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, reflecting the diverse historical and cultural influences that have shaped the usage and meaning of names throughout history.
People
Jathniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jathniel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jathniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jathniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 171 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jathniel 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 2,004,411 US residents.
Is Jathniel a common name?
We classify Jathniel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 172 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jathniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Jathniel was 2023, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jathniel is about 9 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 Jathniel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jathniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jathniel 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 Jathniel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jathniel 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 Jathniel 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 share the name Jathniel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Jathniel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.