Nathaniel Peterson
There are approximately 222 people named Nathaniel Peterson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 1,543,938 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Nathaniel with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Peterson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
222
1 in 1,543,938
Named Nathaniel
250K
Alive today
Named Peterson
304K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 250K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2002
Average age: 31
Top Census group: White (56.0%)
Estimated bearers: 304K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #77
Per 100K: 88.71
Top ancestry: White (81.9%)
First name trend
Nathaniel: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Nathaniel. The peak year was 2002 with 6,829 births. The average person named Nathaniel today is 31 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nathaniel
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Nathaniel, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 56.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nathaniel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Nathaniel at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White56.0% · 106,298
- Black or African American19.0% · 36,075
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 28,850
- Two or more races5.8% · 10,961
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 6,134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,658
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Peterson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Peterson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 81.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Peterson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Peterson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White81.9% · 217,231
- Black or African American9.7% · 25,661
- Two or more races3.5% · 9,241
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 8,898
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2,243
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,876
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Nathaniel has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0730% of the US population, based on 250,327 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Nathaniel right now.
The surname Peterson appears at a rate of 88.71 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0887%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 222 people with the full name Nathaniel Peterson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Nathaniel
Related
Other people with the surname Peterson
FAQ
Nathaniel Peterson: questions and answers
How many people are named Nathaniel Peterson?
We estimate approximately 222 people in the United States share the full name Nathaniel Peterson. That works out to about 1 in 1,543,938 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0730%) with the surname frequency (88.71 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Nathaniel Peterson?
We classify Nathaniel Peterson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 1,543,938 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Nathaniel a male or female name?
Nathaniel is predominantly male. Out of 285,643 total SSA registrations, 99.6% were male and 0.4% were female. See the full Nathaniel profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are named Nathaniel Peterson?
Find out how many people are called Nathaniel Peterson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.