Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Nathan

Say it NAY-thun 2 syllables

Hebrew · “God has given”

Common in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 8 more places. Rare in Poland, Israel, Sweden, and 11 more places.

1 in 255 boys born in Scotland in 2025. Number 56 there.

Nathan in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 11, rare in 14.
Nathan in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales99 (up)20255281 in 5151112020
Scotland56 (up)2025771 in 255612020
Northern Ireland138 (down)2025171 in 487892020
Ireland71 (down)2025821 in 289572020
North America
Ontario (province)16 (up)2024386about 1 in 155182019
Quebec (province)17 (down)2025313about 1 in 9362020
British Columbia (province)29 (down)202368about 1 in 191262018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025892020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New Zealand91 (down)202547792020
Western Europe
France39 (down)20251,2351 in 245162020
Netherlands76 (up)2025189about 1 in 352802020
Central Europe
Austria250 (down)2025231 in 1,6551832020
Switzerland59 (down)20251001 in 360402020
Berlin (city)123 (up)202329about 1 in 5351442018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list20251142020
Cologne (city)141 (up)20239about 1 in 7092232018
Bonn (city)397 (down)20251about 1 in 3,1701542020
Leipzig (city)127 (up)20254about 1 in 7194032020
Rostock (city)172 (down)20251about 1 in 1,0471352020
Nordic countries
Norway334 (down)2025101 in 2,3283102020
Sweden314 (up)202524about 1 in 1,7973912020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)323 (down)2025111 in 1,8822572020
Italy38 (up)20241,0051 in 188492019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland314 (down)2025121 in 10,5341922020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Nathan comes from the Hebrew natán, 'gave', and the name is understood as 'God has given'. In the Bible it belongs to the prophet who counselled King David. It is also used as a short form of Jonathan, which shares the same Hebrew root.

2 more paragraphs

Said NAY-thun, it has two syllables and a calm, even sound. Nate and Nat are the obvious short forms, and related names include Natan, Nosson and Jonathan.

Nathan is a familiar name across Canada, ranking well in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, and it holds a place in the lists in Italy, France and Switzerland. French records put its peak at the end of the 2000s, and it is now falling in more places than it is rising, so it reads as a settled modern classic rather than a new arrival.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
NAY-thun · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“God has given”
Origin
Hebrew
Related names
Jonathan, Natan, Nat, Nate, Nosson, Natã
Where Nathan comes from (Wiktionary)

From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Nathan. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Nathan over time

Rising in 4 of the 20 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 8. Peak in France: 2009.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Nathan in England and Wales: #27 in 1996, a peak of #24 in 2002, and #99 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #27, 2,744 boys1997: #25, 2,983 boys1998: #25, 3,211 boys1999: #25, 2,870 boys2000: #25, 2,856 boys2001: #29, 2,582 boys2002: #24, 2,793 boys2003: #30, 2,574 boys2004: #31, 2,459 boys2005: #35, 2,108 boys2006: #37, 1,894 boys2007: #44, 1,689 boys2008: #50, 1,586 boys2009: #48, 1,573 boys2010: #48, 1,571 boys2011: #54, 1,319 boys2012: #56, 1,212 boys2013: #55, 1,131 boys2014: #62, 1,055 boys2015: #64, 997 boys2016: #77, 872 boys2017: #88, 779 boys2018: #102, 633 boys2019: #104, 616 boys2020: #111, 525 boys2021: #99, 595 boys2022: #105, 524 boys2023: #102, 512 boys2024: #88, 597 boys2025: #99, 528 boys#27 in 1996peak #24, 2002#99in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996272,744
1997252,983
1998253,211
1999252,870
2000252,856
2001292,582
2002242,793
2003302,574
2004312,459
2005352,108
2006371,894
2007441,689
2008501,586
2009481,573
2010481,571
2011541,319
2012561,212
2013551,131
2014621,055
201564997
201677872
201788779
2018102633
2019104616
2020111525
202199595
2022105524
2023102512
202488597
202599528

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Nathan in France since 1925 were born in or after 2009. Peak: 2009, about 1,757 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 1.9 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 2.2 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 1.4 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0.4 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0.5 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0.5 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0.9 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0.9 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 1.8 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 3.9 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 12.7 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 49.6 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 172.4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 640.4 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 1,035.7 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 1,564.6 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 1,381.2 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 894.1 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 580.7 per 100,000 boys20202025: 408 per 100,000 boys20252005-2009: about 1 in 64 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19291.9
1930–19342.2
1935–19391.4
1940–19440.4
1945–19490.5
1950–19540
1955–19590.5
1960–19640.9
1965–19690.9
1970–19741.8
1975–19793.9
1980–198412.7
1985–198949.6
1990–1994172.4
1995–1999640.4
2000–20041,035.7
2005–20091,564.6
2010–20141,381.2
2015–2019894.1
2020–2024580.7
2025408

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Nathan

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Nathan, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 79, Italy

  2. 1 in 62, Poland

  3. 1 in 317, Scotland

  4. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 204, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 289, Ireland

  7. 1 in 354, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 290, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 124, Ireland

  10. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

All 40 brother names for Nathan

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Nathan's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Nathan Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials N.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Nathan

Sisters for Nathan: Abigail, Hannah, Naomi, and 5 more
  1. AbigailRose and fell with Nathan · Same generation as Nathan
  2. HannahRose and fell with Nathan · Same generation as Nathan
  3. NaomiRose and fell with Nathan · Same generation as Nathan · Same initial as Nathan
  4. MayaRose and fell with Nathan · Same generation as Nathan
  5. SarahRose and fell with Nathan · As common as Nathan
  6. GabriellaRose and fell with Nathan · Same generation as Nathan
  7. LeahRose and fell with Nathan · Hebrew, like Nathan
  8. LucyRose and fell with Nathan · Same generation as Nathan

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Nathan

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Nathan's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, England and Wales, Italy, and 16 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  3. Rare in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Poland, Israel, and 16 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  7. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 15 more places.

  8. Rare across the UK, Italy, Poland, and 14 more places.

Famous people named Nathan

Nathan Söderblom, Nathan Fillion, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Nathan

How popular is Nathan in Ontario?

Nathan ranked #16 in Ontario in 2024, given to 386 boys, about 1 in 155.

Is Nathan rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 4 of the 20 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 8. Rising in: Leipzig, Cologne, Italy, and Sweden.

What does Nathan mean?

Nathan means “God has given”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Nathan have?

Nathan has 2 syllables: NAY-thun.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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