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BabyNames
Boy name#60 of boy names

Nathan

Pronounced N AE1 T HH EH1 N (ARPABET)

  • 2 syllables
  • Peaked 2004
  • 145 years in use
  • Biblical
  • 3 spellings
Compare

How popular is Nathan?

Nathan is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 592,066 children — the 60th most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 47% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 2004, when 14,945 children were given it.

Three other spellings are counted in that total — Nathen, Nathyn and Nathin — because they are pronounced identically.

05,00010,00015,00020,00018901920195019802010
2004Boys: 14,945Girls: 62

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Nathan and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Nathen
  • Nathyn
  • Nathin

Characteristics

  • Biblical (Person)
  • Alliterative
  • 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
N AE1 T HH EH1 N · N AE1 TH IH0 N · N AE1 TH IH1 N · N EY1 TH AH0 N
Stress pattern:
11 · 10 · 11 · 10
Syllables:
2

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Nathan

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Nathan

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Nathan?
Nathan ranks 60th among boys' names in US records, with 592,066 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 64,612.
Is Nathan a unisex name?
No. Nathan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Nathan most popular?
2004, when 14,945 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Nathan spelled?
Nathen, Nathyn, Nathin. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.