Head to head · Boys' names
Nathan vs Nolan
#63 vs #65 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Nathan is a whisker ahead (#63 vs #65 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Nathan leads 5 measures of 6; Nolan leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Nathan #126, Nolan #839 — Nathan higher
- 1890s: Nathan #135, Nolan #745 — Nathan higher
- 1900s: Nathan #133, Nolan #577 — Nathan higher
- 1910s: Nathan #135, Nolan #491 — Nathan higher
- 1920s: Nathan #204, Nolan #471 — Nathan higher
- 1930s: Nathan #247, Nolan #417 — Nathan higher
- 1940s: Nathan #257, Nolan #441 — Nathan higher
- 1950s: Nathan #225, Nolan #520 — Nathan higher
- 1960s: Nathan #183, Nolan #633 — Nathan higher
- 1970s: Nathan #62, Nolan #580 — Nathan higher
- 1980s: Nathan #40, Nolan #392 — Nathan higher
- 1990s: Nathan #39, Nolan #251 — Nathan higher
- 2000s: Nathan #25, Nolan #155 — Nathan higher
- 2010s: Nathan #38, Nolan #79 — Nathan higher
- 2020s: Nathan #59, Nolan #62 — Nathan higher
Nathan stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Nathan | Nolan |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #126 | #839 |
| 1890s | #135 | #745 |
| 1900s | #133 | #577 |
| 1910s | #135 | #491 |
| 1920s | #204 | #471 |
| 1930s | #247 | #417 |
| 1940s | #257 | #441 |
| 1950s | #225 | #520 |
| 1960s | #183 | #633 |
| 1970s | #62 | #580 |
| 1980s | #40 | #392 |
| 1990s | #39 | #251 |
| 2000s | #25 | #155 |
| 2010s | #38 | #79 |
| 2020s | #59 | #62 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Nathan
- Canada#13
- France#39
- Scotland#56
- England & Wales#88
Nolan
- Canada#34
- France#78
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Nathan
he gave
Hebrew natan is simply the verb: he gave. Nathaniel adds God as the giver — God has given — and Jonathan names the giver differently, using the divine name. Nathan on its own leaves the subject unstated, which is either an abbreviation or a deliberate reticence depending on which scholar you ask. The verb itself is not disputed and the name is one of the plainest in the Hebrew Bible.
Natan → Nathan
How it traveled
The Nathan of the books of Samuel is a court prophet who does something court prophets rarely survive: he confronts David over Bathsheba by telling him a parable about a rich man who takes a poor man's only lamb, waits for the king to condemn the rich man, and then says that the king is the man. It is one of the most quoted passages in the Hebrew Bible and it is the reason the name carries what it carries.
Nolan
From the Irish personal name Nuallán, a diminutive built on nuall
The Irish root nuall means 'shout, cry, wail', so Nuallán is literally a 'little shout'. The gloss usually attached to the surname Ó Nualláin is 'descendant of the champion' or 'the noble one' — an interpretation of that same root as a battle-cry or a name of renown. Both readings are seriously held; neither has pushed the other out.
nuall (Irish: shout, cry) → Nuallán → Ó Nualláin → Nolan
How it traveled
The name is Gaelic in origin: Ó Nualláin, 'descendant of Nuallán', a family long seated in what is now County Carlow. Like Brady, Ryan and Casey, it traveled with Irish families to North America as a surname, then joined the long American habit of moving Irish surnames to the front of the name.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Nathan
NAY-thun
NAY-thun, two syllables, stress at the front, the th soft as in the word the. Hebrew says na-TAN with the weight at the back and both vowels short, which is a noticeably different name to an Israeli ear. French keeps the English-ish shape and adds a nasal ending.
- Nate — The front clipped to one syllable, and a complete working name; what most Nathans go by.
- Nat — The same clipping with a short vowel, older in English and now heard mostly from earlier generations.
- Than — The back syllable alone, rare and used mostly where the family wants something nobody else has.
Nolan
NOH-lən
Stress on the first syllable, second syllable relaxed. Said the same way in English and in French, which is unusual and convenient.
- Nolan — Most bearers use the full name in every setting; it is short enough to need no trimming.
- Nol — Informal, family-level clipping; rarely written down.
- Noley — Affectionate form used mainly with small children.
- No — Occasional playground shortening, sometimes avoided for obvious reasons.
Who has carried each name
Nathan
Nathan Hale (b. 1755) — Revolutionary spy: "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country"
Nathan Lane (b. 1956) — Broadway's beloved comic star (The Producers)
Nathan Fillion (b. 1971) — Castle and Firefly star
Nolan
Nolan Ryan (b. 1947) — Pitched a record seven no-hitters
Nolan Bushnell (b. 1943) — Founded Atari and launched the video game industry
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Nathan if you want…
- a name that charts abroad tooNathan is on the national lists of Canada, France, Scotland and England & Wales
- a long American recordNathan was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Nolan
Choose Nolan if you want…
- a newer arrivalNolan entered the US charts in 1881
- a name that feels very nowNolan is holding its place on the charts
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Nathan
Strengths
- Two syllables, one spelling, and no ambiguity anywhere in it — rare in a name this widely used.
- Nate is a complete working name rather than a clipping that needs the long form behind it.
- It has been in continuous English use for four centuries without becoming tied to any one period.
To consider
- It is assumed to be short for Nathaniel constantly, and correcting that is a small speech most Nathans stop giving.
- A great many people already carry it, so a Nathan will rarely be the only one in a workplace over a lifetime.
- Nate is so automatic that a family wanting the full name used will have to insist and will mostly lose.
Nolan
Strengths
- Two syllables, seven letters, and phonetic — most people spell it right the first time after hearing it.
- Works as a first name and reads naturally as a surname, so it sits easily in professional life.
- Recognized in English and French alike, with the same pronunciation in both.
To consider
- Nolen, Nowlan and Noland all exist, so you may be asked which spelling you mean, even though Nolan is the standard one.
- It sits in a crowded sound-neighborhood with Noah, Nathan and Logan; the name itself is not everywhere, but the shape of it is familiar.
- Its rise is recent, so most people carrying it now are children and young adults rather than grown men — that will simply change with time.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Nathan
12%chance Nathan feels dated by 2040
Nathan has held the top-100 across 6 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Nolan
40%chance Nolan feels dated by 2040
Nolan sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Nathan and Nolan in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Nathan and Nolan?
Put both to the vote.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Nathan and Nolan — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Nathan or Nolan — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Nathan or Nolan?
- Nathan, in 2025: Nathan ranked #63 with 4,975 babies; Nolan ranked #65 with 4,846 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Nathan or Nolan?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Nathan moved down 8 places; Nolan moved down 4 places.
- Which is the older name, Nathan or Nolan?
- Nathan was already in use when US records began in 1880; Nolan entered the US charts in 1881. On the American record, Nathan is the older name.
- How many people are named Nathan and Nolan?
- About 540,000 people named Nathan are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 128,000 people named Nolan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Nathans or Nolans in the classroom?
- Nathan will almost certainly be the only one in school. Nolan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Nathan, Nolan and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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