Nathan
Nathan is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Hebrew verb נָתָן meaning gave.
Meaning & Origin of Nathan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Nathan is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Hebrew verb נָתָן meaning gave.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Nathan
Nathan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 114 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2004, when 14,633 Nathans were born — ranking #20 that year. As of 2026, Nathan ranks #65 for baby boys with 4,870 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 592K Nathans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Nathan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Nathan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nathan
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About the name Nathan
Nathan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 592K births in the dataset. Nathan's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #20. Use the chart and map above to compare Nathan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2004 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.