Nathan
Hebrew Natan, “he gave.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Nathan appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1972 to 2025. Its biggest year was 2004, when 14,634 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 20 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 63 for boys. All told, 589,271 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Nathen (6,146), Nathon (1,439), Neythan (919), Naythan (813) (total births since 1880)
Explore Nathan interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,106 | No. 114 |
| 1890s | 1,180 | No. 118 |
| 1900s | 1,616 | No. 125 |
| 1910s | 7,132 | No. 108 |
| 1920s | 6,715 | No. 172 |
| 1930s | 4,699 | No. 232 |
| 1940s | 5,577 | No. 243 |
| 1950s | 10,126 | No. 207 |
| 1960s | 15,524 | No. 154 |
| 1970s | 65,857 | No. 36 |
| 1980s | 105,987 | No. 36 |
| 1990s | 107,332 | No. 32 |
| 2000s | 134,857 | No. 20 |
| 2010s | 88,034 | No. 27 |
| 2020s | 31,755 | No. 55 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.