Nadav
Masculine · “Generous”
Nadav is Hebrew for generous — specifically the willingness to give freely, without being asked. It is also the name of Aaron's eldest son, who is consumed by fire in Leviticus for offering something God had not commanded.
How old is the name Nadav?
Nadav first appears in US birth records in 1976 — 49 years ago. The typical Nadav alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 800 people named Nadav are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nadav most popular?
Nadav peaked in 2016, reaching #3441 nationally. Today it ranks #5608, 2,167 places below that high. See the whole 2016 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From nādaḇ to Nadav
The story of Nadav
Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's two eldest sons, offer strange fire before the Lord in Leviticus 10 and are killed by it; the passage is short, abrupt and much discussed. A second Nadab was a king of Israel. Despite that, the name has been used steadily in Hebrew, because the word itself is a good one and modern Israeli naming draws on Hebrew vocabulary rather than only on biblical characters. Nadav is ordinary in Israel today. American records show it from the 1970s with Israeli and American Jewish families and a peak as recent as 2016.
Meaning
Generous, willing, noble
From Hebrew nādaḇ, to volunteer or give willingly. The reading is settled. The same root gives nədāḇāh, a freewill offering, and the name Nedavia. In modern Hebrew nadiv means generous, and the name carries that sense directly.
How the name formed
- nādaḇ
- Nadab
- Nadav
Related forms: נָדָב · Nadab
Pronouncing Nadav
nah-DAHV
Two syllables, stress on the second in Hebrew. English speakers often say NAY-dav with the weight at the front and a long first vowel.
Nicknames for Nadav
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1976
- Most boys named
- 201632 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3441reached in 2016
- Change vs 2024
- +23.1%16 in 2025, from 13
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Nadav in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- נָדָב in Hebrew — transliteration
- Nadab in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, California.
Nadavs among us
people named Nadav are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 106,755 born in 2025 was named Nadav
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Rayon test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Nadav's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Rayon climbed just as high around 1986, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Rayon's path sketches the road Nadav is walking now.
Nadav 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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Nadav beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nadav in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The meaning is settled and unusually warm — willing generosity.
- Five letters and two syllables travel easily.
- Every sound in it exists in English.
- The biblical bearer dies badly in a short and troubling passage.
- Hebrew and English put the stress in different places.
- Nadav and Nadab are two spellings of one name.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Nadav to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Nadav? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Nadav
Masculine · #5608 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nadavs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Nadav are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nadav in 2025?
- Nadav ranks #5608 among US boy names in 2025, with 16 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nadav?
- About 1 in every 106,755 US boys born in 2025 was named Nadav — 16 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nadav with classmates?
- Nadav will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nadav
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rolland#5608 · Llewellyn#5608 · Arlie#5608 · Gerrit#5608 · Vinson#5608 · Georgie#5608 · Wally#5608 · Webb#5608
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nadav? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nadav and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle