Nathanil
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Nathanil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nathanil today is around 127 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nathanil births was 1937 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nathanil. 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
- • The typical person named Nathanil is about 127 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Nathanils were born before 1909.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nathanil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1937
5 babies that year
Average age
127
years old
1937 SSA rank
#3,873
Tracked since 1937
Popularity
Nathanil: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nathanil 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 Nathanil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nathanil
The name Nathanil is derived from the Hebrew name נְתַנְאֵל (Nathanel), which means "given by God" or "gift of God." It is a variant spelling of the more common Nathanael, which is found in the New Testament of the Bible.
The earliest known use of the name Nathanil dates back to ancient Israel, where it was used among Jewish communities during the time of the Second Temple period. The name gained wider recognition after the birth of Jesus Christ, as Nathanael was one of his apostles mentioned in the Gospel of John.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Nathanil was Nathanil ben Fayyumi, a Jewish philosopher and theologian who lived in Egypt during the 10th century CE. He was known for his work on Jewish ethics and his commentaries on the Torah.
Another notable figure was Nathanil Hawthorne (1804-1864), an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his works "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables." Hawthorne was a prominent figure in the American Renaissance literary movement.
In the 16th century, Nathanil Carpenter (1589-1628) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious tracts and sermons, including "The Anabaptist Washd and Washed."
During the 17th century, Nathanil Ward (1578-1652) was a Puritan minister and author who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony. He is best known for his work "The Simple Cobler of Aggawam," a satirical work criticizing the religious and political landscape of the time.
In the 19th century, Nathanil Hawthorne (1804-1864), the American novelist mentioned earlier, was a prominent figure who helped establish the name's popularity in the United States.
While the name Nathanil has seen varied usage throughout history, it has maintained its connection to its Hebrew roots and biblical origins, often associated with religious or literary figures.
People
Nathanil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nathanil 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
Nathanil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nathanil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nathanil 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Nathanil a common name?
We classify Nathanil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nathanil most popular?
The single biggest year for Nathanil was 1937, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nathanil is about 127 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 Nathanil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nathanil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nathanil 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 Nathanil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nathanil 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 Nathanil 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 Nathanil?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Nathanil, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.