Given name & surname
Nathan
“he has given”·“God has given”
Nathan is a Hebrew biblical name in its own right, with later use as a shorter form of other names.
Original Hebrewנתן
Meaning & origin
What it means
Its Hebrew meaning is “he has given,” traditionally understood as “God has given.”
Where it comes from
Nathan has Hebrew biblical roots and an independent history before its use as a modern short form.
How it developed
Nathan can stand as its own biblical name. It has also been used as a short form of Nathaniel or Jonathan, but those later naming practices do not fully explain its origin.
The story
In the biblical account, Nathan is the prophet who confronts King David over the death of Uriah and David’s relationship with Bathsheba. Another Nathan is one of David’s sons.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Nathan appears in 2 Samuel 12:1, 2 Samuel 5:14, 1 Chronicles 3:5 and 5 other passages.
- 2 Samuel 12:1
- 2 Samuel 5:14
- 1 Chronicles 3:5
- Luke 3:31
- Matthew 1:6
- 1 Chronicles 2:36
- Ezra 8:16
- Ezra 10:39
From biblical name research
Nathan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 589,271
- 587,497 boys · 1,774 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 14,696 babies
- 2025
- 4,980
- #63 for boys · #16,565 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 4,975 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 63 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 23.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14,634 in 2004. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (762). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 481,621 as a first name in 2020; 7,874 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.
Nathan’s family of names
In English usage, Nathan has a diminutive in Nate. In Cebuano usage, Nathan developed from the English form Jonathan. Nathan is a form of Nathaniel.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nathan has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
20 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 17
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 16
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nathan
- Nathan SöderblomSwedish clergyman and archbishop (1866–1931)
- Nathan FillionCanadian-American actor (born 1971)
- Nathan AkéDutch footballer (born 1995)
- Nathan LaneAmerican actorborn 1956
- Nathan BurnsAustralian association football playerborn 1988
- Joey JordisonAmerican musician (1975–2021)
- Nathan KressAmerican actor (born 1992)
- Nathan Bedford ForrestConfederate States Army general (1821–1877)
- Nate DiazAmerican mixed martial artistborn 1985
Characters named Nathan: Nathan Drake (the Uncharted video game series), Nathan Scott (the television series One Tree Hill).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nathan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys
Samuel
“God has heard” · “asked of God”
>99% boys
Caleb
“dog” · “resembling a dog”
>99% boys
Isaac
“full of laughter”
>99% boys
Isaiah
“God is salvation” · “God is my salvation”
>99% boys
Jesus
“God is my salvation”
>99% boys
Gabriel
“man of God” · “a hero of God”
>99% boys
Jonah
“dove”
99% boys · 1% girls