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Nathanael

Gender
Boy
Say it
na-THAN-yel
Origin
Hebrew
UK rank, 2025
#916 for boys
US rank, 2025
#632 for boys

Nathanael is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “God has given”. In 2025 it ranked 916th for boys in the UK (37 babies) and 632nd for boys in the US (442 babies).

What does Nathanael mean?

Hebrew: New Testament spelling of Nathaniel

“God has given”

The spelling used in the New Testament for Nathanael of Cana, the disciple whom Jesus called an Israelite without guile.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Nathanael a girl's or a boy's name?

Nathanael is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 37 boys in the UK and 442 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Nathanael in the UK?

Rank in 2025
916th among boys
Babies in 2025
37 about 1 in 8,100 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 15% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 37 boys in the UK were named Nathanael, making it the 916th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 896th. Its busiest year was 2013, with 79 boys.

Half of all the boys named Nathanael in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2016. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

In 2025, 421 boys in the UK were given Nathanael or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #157, up from #916 for this spelling alone.

Among boys in 2025, it was 856th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 79 in 20132025
Nathanael in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202537#916
202438#899
202341#860
202239#883
202131#1,041
202036#896
201947#764
201854#705
201753#727
201653#723
201563#627
201453#696
201379#526
201267#594
201155#674
201056#646
200968#552
200860#602
200754#619
200666#517
200545#648
200456#512
200357#480
200248#505
200143#524
200055#435
199958#427
199857#427
199745#476
199654#422

How popular is Nathanael in the US?

Rank in 2025
632nd among boys
Babies in 2025
442 about 1 in 3,900 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 18% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 442 boys in the US were named Nathanael, making it the 632nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 718th. Its busiest year was 2000, with 609 boys. It first appears in the records in 1915.

It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had more boys named Nathanael than any year since 2015.

Half of all the boys named Nathanael in the US since 1880 were born between 1990 and 2012, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 3,040 boys in the US were given Nathanael or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #130, up from #632 for this spelling alone.

1915Busiest: 609 in 20002025
Nathanael in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025442#632
2024407#674
2023369#719
2022325#777
2021317#780
2020345#718
2019348#710
2018337#717
2017402#644
2016431#621
2015480#580
2014477#582
2013471#557
2012438#584
2011433#579
2010475#538
2009586#466
2008531#513
2007598#462
2006594#455
2005577#448
2004595#435
2003539#466
2002539#454
2001544#446
2000609#408
1999564#416
1998600#405
1997523#433
1996465#470
1995476#466
1994404#500
1993428#489
1992407#497
1991383#506
1990356#522
1989359#502
1988356#486
1987307#513
1986394#433
1985352#457
1984350#447
1983356#439
1982369#437
1981323#462
1980348#446
1979275#503
1978262#498
1977218#566
1976199#574
1975163#633
1974103#786
1973100#792
197269#976
197161#1,043
197041#1,296
196927#1,569
196832#1,366
196723#1,608
196611#2,464
196511#2,474
196426#1,544
19638#3,043
196216#2,034
196110#2,704
196010#2,683
19595#3,986
19589#2,816
19576#3,550
19569#2,796
19557#3,199
19549#2,742
19536#3,423
19526#3,370
195110#2,493
195011#2,320
194911#2,336
19489#2,607
19479#2,670
19465#3,523
19457#2,742
19448#2,632
19437#2,962
19420–
19417#2,871
19400–
19390–
19385#3,533
19370–
19366#3,146
19358#2,719
19340–
19336#3,267
193211#2,313
19315#3,761
19309#2,779
19290–
19280–
19276#3,778
19260–
19257#3,406
19240–
19235#4,236
19225#4,305
19210–
19200–
19190–
19180–
19177#3,216
19166#3,515
19156#3,391

Nicknames for Nathanael

Names like Nathanael

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Joshua, Gabriel, Nathan, Zachary, Ethan, Raphael, Benjamin, Elliot, Noah, Michael, Jacob, Adam

Other spellings of Nathanael

Nathaniel, Nathanial

Names related to Nathanael

Nataniel, Natnael, Natanael, Nathaneal, Natanel, Nathanel

More Hebrew names

Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Isaac, Daniel, Samuel, Elias, Mateo, Elsie, Levi, Eliana

Every Hebrew name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Nathanael: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/nathanael, updated 20 October 2026.