Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1951. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Naftali through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,024
- 2,024 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 83 babies
- 2025
- 58
- #2,379 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 58 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,379 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 83 in 2018. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (26). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,483 as a first name in 2020; 211 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Naftali’s family of names
Naftali has a related form in Neftali. Naftali has a related form in Nafis. Naftali has a related form in Nephtali.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Naftali has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Naftali
- Naftali BennettPrime Minister of Israel from 2021 to 2022born 1972
- Naphtali Hirz WesselyGerman scholar1725–1805
- Naftali BlumenthalIsraeli politician (1922–2022)
- Naftali Herz Tur-SinaiIsraeli bible scholar (1886-1973)
- Naftali BotwinPolish-Jewish communist (1905–1925)
- Naftali FederIsraeli politician (1920-2009)
- Naftali BezemGerman-born Israeli painter, muralist and sculptor (1924-2018)
- Herz HombergAustrian writer1749–1841
- Naftoli TropPolish rabbi1871–1928
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Naftali, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Abimael
“God is father” · “a father is El”
>99% boys
Abdias
“servant of God”
>99% boys
Amaziah
“Yah is strong” · “strength of Yah”
90% boys · 10% girls
Adonai
“my foundation” · “my Lord”
88% boys · 12% girls
Oseias
Oseias is a masculine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Portuguese.
>99% boys
Pharaoh
“great house” · “great civilization”
>99% boys
Ananias
“Yah has been gracious” · “graciously given of Yah”
>99% boys
Eliab
“(my) God is father”
>99% boys