Nature
Derived from Latin natura, signifying the inherent character and essence of the world.
Name Census estimates that about 757 living Americans carry the first name Nature. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 74.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Nature today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nature births was 2021 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nature. 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 Nature with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
757
~ 1 in 452,780 Americans
Peak year
2021
83 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,098
Tracked since 1973
Census
Nature in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 385 people with the first name Nature, which placed it at #24,842 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#24,842
National first-name rank
People counted
385
385 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
50.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nature
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nature is Black at 50.1%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Hispanic (10.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nature described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nature at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.1% · 193
- White25.5% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 39
- Two or more races7.5% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 8
Gender
Gender distribution for Nature
Nature is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 769 total registrations, 197 (25.6%) were male and 572 (74.4%) were female.
Nature as a male name
- Ranked #7,099 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (27 births)
Nature as a female name
- Ranked #3,098 in 2024
- 52 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (56 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nature on both sides of the split. Of the 381 people counted with this name, 105 were male (27.6%) and 276 were female (72.4%).
Popularity
Nature: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nature from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 354 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nature 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 Nature during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Natures live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. New York, South Carolina, Maryland recorded the most babies named Nature, while Texas, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nature
The name Nature is a relatively modern one, emerging in the late 18th century during the Romantic era. It is derived from the Latin word "natura," meaning "birth" or "nature." The name reflects the Romantic ideals of a deep appreciation for the natural world, a rejection of industrialization, and a return to simpler living.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Nature was in 1798, when English poet William Wordsworth named his daughter Dora Nature Wordsworth. Wordsworth was a leading figure in the Romantic movement and his works celebrated the beauty and power of nature. The name Nature symbolized his reverence for the natural world and his belief in its ability to inspire and uplift the human spirit.
In the 19th century, the name Nature gained popularity among bohemian and free-spirited communities in Europe and the United States. It was seen as a way to honor the natural world and express a commitment to living in harmony with it. Notable figures who bore the name Nature during this time include Nature Bates (1809-1888), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist, and Nature Thoreau (1817-1862), the younger sister of renowned author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau.
In the 20th century, the name Nature experienced a resurgence among environmentalists and those advocating for a more sustainable way of life. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Nature French (1920-2009), an American environmental activist and author who wrote extensively about the importance of protecting the planet's natural resources.
Another notable figure was Nature Muir (1938-2014), a Scottish botanist and conservationist who dedicated her life to preserving the biodiversity of the Scottish Highlands. She was a leading voice in the fight against deforestation and played a pivotal role in establishing several nature reserves in Scotland.
More recently, Nature Suzuki (born 1936) is a Canadian academic, environmental activist, and television host who has been a prominent advocate for sustainable living and environmental protection. His documentary series "The Nature of Things" has been educating and inspiring audiences for over four decades.
While not a common name, Nature has a rich history and symbolizes humanity's deep connection to the natural world. It serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting and preserving the planet's precious ecosystems for future generations.
People
Nature + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nature 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
Nature: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nature?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 757 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nature 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 452,780 US residents.
Is Nature a common name?
We classify Nature as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 769 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nature most popular?
The single biggest year for Nature was 2021, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nature is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nature in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 385 people with the name Nature, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,842 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nature in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nature?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nature on both sides of the split. Of the 381 people counted with this name, 105 were male (27.6%) and 276 were female (72.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nature?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nature is Black at 50.1%. The next largest groups are White (25.5%) and Hispanic (10.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nature most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Nature in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (193 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nature in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nature a female name?
Yes, 74.4% of people registered as Nature in the SSA data are female. 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 Nature still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nature 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 Nature 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.
How many people are called Nature?
You can see how many Americans are named Nature on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.