2000
#16,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Nathaniel
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "gift of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,027 Americans carry the last name Nathaniel. That puts it at #15,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,094 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nathaniel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nathaniel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,094
Census rank
#15,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,768 bearers of the surname Nathaniel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nathaniel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nathaniel
Nathaniel is an English surname derived from the Hebrew given name "Nathaniel", which means "God has given" or "gift of God". The name has its origins in the biblical figure Nathaniel, a follower of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of John.
The earliest recorded use of Nathaniel as a surname dates back to the late 12th century in England. It was initially adopted as a surname by individuals who were given the name Nathaniel at birth or those who were descendants of someone with that given name.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no records of the surname Nathaniel. However, the given name Nathaniel is mentioned, suggesting that the surname likely emerged later.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the surname Nathaniel was Sir Nathaniel Brent (c. 1573-1652), an English judge and politician who served as Warden of Merton College, Oxford, and as a Member of Parliament.
Another notable individual with the surname Nathaniel was Nathaniel Fiennes (1608-1669), an English politician and soldier who fought for the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the surname Nathaniel was also found in the New England colonies of British America. One example is Nathaniel Sylvester (c. 1610-1680), an English-born poet and physician who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The surname Nathaniel has also been associated with some notable literary figures. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), the renowned American novelist and short story writer, is perhaps the most famous bearer of this surname.
Another literary figure with the surname Nathaniel was Nathaniel Parker Willis (1806-1867), an American author, poet, and editor who played a significant role in the development of American literature in the 19th century.
While the surname Nathaniel has its roots in England and the United States, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the biblical figure Nathaniel and the Hebrew meaning of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nathaniel
Among Census respondents with the surname Nathaniel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Nathaniel bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nathaniel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.5% · 1,141
- White11.5% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.2% · 163
- Two or more races6.4% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nathaniel
Nathaniel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,859
+220 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 516 places
2020
#15,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,768
-91 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,208 | 1,639 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,692 | 1,859 | 0.63 | +220 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 516 places |
| 2020 | #15,866 | 1,768 | 0.59 | -91 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 174 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nathaniel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,692 | #15,866 | -1.1% |
| Count | 1,859 | 1,768 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.59 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nathaniel bearers went from 1,859 to 1,768 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,692 to #15,866.
FAQ
Nathaniel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nathaniel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,027 living Americans carry the surname Nathaniel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,094 residents.
How common is Nathaniel?
Nathaniel ranks #15,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,768 people with the surname Nathaniel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,027), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nathaniel.
Has Nathaniel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nathaniel went from 1,859 recorded bearers to 1,768. That is a decrease of 91 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,692 to #15,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Nathaniel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nathaniel, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nathaniel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.5% (1,141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nathaniel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.5%), White (11.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nathaniel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nathaniel mean?
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "gift of God". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nathaniel (0.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Nathaniel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.