Nathanael is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Nathanael means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Nathanael across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Nathanael has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Nathanael is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “gift of God”. A variant of Nathaniel, borne by an apostle in the Gospels.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 22,244 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,454 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 51 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 18 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 33 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Nathanael per year, United States (1915 to 2025). United States peaked in 2000 (609/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2013 (75/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2012 (5/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2004 (5/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2000 (3/yr).
Nathanael has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2000, when it ranked #862 nationally (given to 664 babies that year).
Nathaniel · Nathanial · Nathaneal · Nathinel · Nathanel · Nathainel · Nathanil · Nathinal
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