Nathanel
A Hebrew name meaning "God has given" or "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 695 living Americans carry the first name Nathanel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nathanel today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nathanel births was 2002 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nathanel. 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.
People living today
695
~ 1 in 493,172 Americans
Peak year
2002
39 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,865
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Nathanel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nathanel from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 241 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nathanel 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 Nathanel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nathanels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Nathanel, while Texas, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nathanel
Nathanel is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew words "Natan" meaning "given" and "El" meaning "God." The name can be translated as "Gift of God" or "God has given." It is an alternate spelling of the more common name "Nathaniel."
The name first appeared in the Bible, in the New Testament, where Nathanael (or Nathaniel) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in the Gospel of John as being from Cana in Galilee and is described as an "Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Nathanel is from the 12th century, when it was used by a Jewish scholar and philosopher named Nathanel ibn al-Fayyumi, who lived in Egypt from around 1099 to 1169.
In the 13th century, a prominent French scholar and theologian named Nathanel of Soissons, also known as Nathanael de Curia, lived from around 1210 to 1286. He was a renowned teacher at the University of Paris and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, Nathanel Carpenter (1589-1628) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
In the 18th century, Nathanel Hone (1718-1784) was an English painter and satirist known for his satirical prints and caricatures of contemporary figures.
Another notable figure with the name Nathanel was Nathanel Greene (1742-1786), a major general in the American Revolutionary War and a close friend and military strategist for George Washington.
While the name Nathanel has remained in use throughout history, it has been less common than the more popular spelling Nathaniel. However, it remains a name with rich biblical and historical significance, particularly in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
People
Nathanel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nathanel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nathanel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nathanel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 695 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nathanel 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 493,172 US residents.
Is Nathanel a common name?
We classify Nathanel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 879 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nathanel most popular?
The single biggest year for Nathanel was 2002, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nathanel is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nathanel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nathanel 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.
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.