Head to head · Boys' names
Nathanael vs Raul
#632 vs #634 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Nathanael is a whisker ahead (#632 vs #634 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
The tape is even: Nathanael and Raul each lead 3 measures of 6.
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
- 1900s: Nathanael —, Raul #925 — Raul higher
- 1910s: Nathanael #3375, Raul #673 — Raul higher
- 1920s: Nathanael #3934, Raul #360 — Raul higher
- 1930s: Nathanael #3075, Raul #306 — Raul higher
- 1940s: Nathanael #2794, Raul #298 — Raul higher
- 1950s: Nathanael #3071, Raul #256 — Raul higher
- 1960s: Nathanael #2150, Raul #256 — Raul higher
- 1970s: Nathanael #767, Raul #213 — Raul higher
- 1980s: Nathanael #462, Raul #206 — Raul higher
- 1990s: Nathanael #471, Raul #212 — Raul higher
- 2000s: Nathanael #455, Raul #254 — Raul higher
- 2010s: Nathanael #611, Raul #439 — Raul higher
- 2020s: Nathanael #717, Raul #593 — Raul higher
Raul stood higher in every recorded decade — 13 of 13.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Nathanael | Raul |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | — | #925 |
| 1910s | #3375 | #673 |
| 1920s | #3934 | #360 |
| 1930s | #3075 | #306 |
| 1940s | #2794 | #298 |
| 1950s | #3071 | #256 |
| 1960s | #2150 | #256 |
| 1970s | #767 | #213 |
| 1980s | #462 | #206 |
| 1990s | #471 | #212 |
| 2000s | #455 | #254 |
| 2010s | #611 | #439 |
| 2020s | #717 | #593 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Nathanael
God has given
From the Hebrew elements natan, 'he gave', and El, 'God' — often rendered simply as 'gift of God'.
Netan'el → Nathanaēl → Nathanael → Nathaniel → Nat
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Netan'el, borne by several minor figures in the Hebrew Bible, and passed into Greek as Nathanaēl when Jewish scriptures were translated in Alexandria. That Greek spelling is the one the Gospel of John keeps for the disciple Nathanael of Cana, and from there it traveled into Latin and then into English Bibles.
Raul
counsel-wolf, from Germanic rād 'advice, counsel' and wulf 'wolf'
The same two elements sit inside the English Ralph and the French Raoul; the Germanic naming habit of pairing an abstract quality with an animal is very old and very well documented.
Rādwulf → Radulf → Raoul → Raúl → Raul
How it traveled
The oldest form is the Germanic Rādwulf, latinized as Radulf, which spread through Frankish territory in the early medieval period. Old French wore it down to Raoul, and Norman speakers took that form to England, where it settled as Ralph.
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
Nathanael
nuh-THAN-yel
Also said nuh-THAN-ee-uhl, with four syllables. The final -ael is one sound, not two — it rhymes with the ending of Daniel, not with 'ay-el'.
- Nate — The everyday short form in American English, used from childhood onward and common enough to stand alone as a given name.
- Nat — The older clipping, in use for centuries and shared with Nathan and Natalie; still heard, more often among older generations.
- Nathan — Frequently used as the informal-but-full-sounding version, though it is a separate biblical name in its own right.
- Nano — Heard in Spanish-speaking families using the Natanael form.
Raul
rah-OOL
Two syllables, stress on the second. In Spanish the accent mark (Raúl) is what keeps the vowels apart; without it, English speakers sometimes flatten it to one syllable, closer to 'Rowl'.
- Raulito — Standard Spanish diminutive, used affectionately within families and often for a boy named after his father.
- Rauli — Informal short form; also exists independently as a Finnish given name.
- Rau — Clipped informal form heard among friends and teammates rather than in writing.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Nathanael if you want…
- a name on the way upup 86 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itNathanael runs 3 syllables, Raul 1
Choose Raul if you want…
- a name holding steadyRaul is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesRaul is 1 syllable to Nathanael's 3
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
Nathanael
Strengths
- Meaning is settled and easy to state: 'God has given', from Hebrew.
- Comes with ready-made short forms — Nate and Nat — that need no explanation to anyone.
- Works with almost no adjustment in Spanish, Portuguese, French and German, which matters in bilingual families.
To consider
- Nathaniel is the far more common English spelling, and this one will be corrected to it on forms, rosters and coffee cups for life. Most Nathanaels learn to spell it out early and think nothing of it.
- The -ael ending trips some readers into a three-syllable 'nay-thuh-nel' or a stretched 'ay-el'. A short correction usually settles it.
- Nate is so natural a shortening that the full four syllables may end up reserved for documents and stern moments — worth being at peace with if the long form is the one you love.
Raul
Strengths
- Works unchanged in English, Spanish and Portuguese — only the accent mark shifts, and the sound stays recognizable in all three.
- Four letters, no silent letters, no competing spellings to choose between.
- A documented line running from early medieval Frankish names through Old French to the modern form.
To consider
- The accent in Raúl will be dropped by school systems, forms and databases; deciding early whether you write it with or without saves years of small corrections.
- English-only speakers often need one gentle correction, either compressing it to a single syllable or reaching for the French Raoul.
- Its American strength is concentrated in the southwest and California, so outside those regions it may be met as unfamiliar rather than merely uncommon — which is not the same as difficult.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
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 Nathanael and Raul 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 Nathanael and Raul?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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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 Nathanael and Raul — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Nathanael or Raul — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Nathanael or Raul?
- Nathanael, in 2025: Nathanael ranked #632 with 442 babies; Raul ranked #634 with 440 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Nathanael or Raul?
- Nathanael. Over the last five years Nathanael moved up 86 places; Raul moved down 77 places.
- Which is the older name, Nathanael or Raul?
- Nathanael entered the US charts in 1915; Raul entered the US charts in 1904. On the American record, Raul is the older name.
- How many people are named Nathanael and Raul?
- About 21,500 people named Nathanael are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 73,500 people named Raul are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Nathanaels or Rauls in the classroom?
- Nathanael will almost certainly be the only one in school. Raul will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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