Nathanel
Masculine · “Hebrew netanel”
Bartholomew is not a first name. It means son of Tolmai, so the apostle had a patronymic and no given name in the lists, which is why tradition identified him with the Nathanael who appears in another gospel.
How old is the name Nathanel?
Nathanel first appears in US birth records in 1917 — 108 years ago. The typical Nathanel alive today was born around 1995, making them about 30 years old. About 700 people named Nathanel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nathanel most popular?
Nathanel peaked in 1929, reaching #2199 nationally. Today it ranks #10695, 8,496 places below that high. See the whole 1929 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Netanel to Nathanel
The story of Nathanel
In John's gospel Nathanael is brought to Jesus by Philip and objects that nothing good comes out of Nazareth; he is told that he was seen under the fig tree, and that settles it for him. The other three gospels list an apostle called Bartholomew, always next to Philip, and never mention Nathanael. Since Bartholomew is a patronymic rather than a personal name, the identification is natural and has been standard for a very long time, though it cannot be proved. The name itself is one of a large Hebrew family built on the verb to give: Nathan, Nathaniel, Jonathan, Elnathan and Netanel are all sentences about a gift, with the divine element at one end or the other.
Meaning
Hebrew netanel, God has given
From Hebrew netan, he gave, and El, God. Nathanael appears in the gospel of John and not in the other three; Bartholomew appears in the other three and not in John, and the two have been identified with each other since at least the ninth century. Nathanel is a short American spelling; its peak is 1929.
How the name formed
- Netanel
- Nathanael
- Nathanel
Related forms: Nathaniel · Netanel · Natanael
Pronouncing Nathanel
nuh-THAN-yul
Three syllables in this spelling, stress on the second. Nathaniel has four for most speakers.
Nicknames for Nathanel
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
- 1917
- Most boys named
- 200328 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2199reached in 1929
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%6 in 2025, from 6
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.
Nathanel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Nathaniel in English — spelling variant
- Netanel in Hebrew — same name
- Natanael in Spanish — same name
Nathanels among us
people named Nathanel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 284,679 born in 2025 was named Nathanel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Nathanel 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
Nathanel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Nathanel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Nate and Nat are two immediate short forms.
- The Hebrew meaning is exact and documented.
- It is shorter than the standard spelling by a syllable.
- Nathaniel and Nathanael are both more common.
- The missing letters read as an error to most readers.
- The 1929 peak dates this form.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Nathanel 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 Nathanel? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Nathanel
Masculine · #10695 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Nathanels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Nathanel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nathanel in 2025?
- Nathanel ranks #10695 among US boy names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Nathanel?
- About 1 in every 284,679 US boys born in 2025 was named Nathanel — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Nathanel with classmates?
- Nathanel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Nathanel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Dudley#10695 · Dell#10695 · Buford#10695 · Toney#10695 · Allison#10695 · Candido#10695 · Jodie#10695 · Nora#10695
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nathanel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Nathanel 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