UK boy's name
Elnathan
Hebrew name meaning "God has given" or "God's gift".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Elnathan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Elnathan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2263, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 17 births.
This profile covers 123 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2009 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 59% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 122 living people in the UK are called Elnathan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Elnathan ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2014, when 17 boys were registered as Elnathan.
- • About 122 living people in the UK are estimated to have Elnathan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2263
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2014
17 births
Estimated living
122
2026
Meaning
What does Elnathan mean?
Elnathan is a Hebrew name with biblical origins, derived from the elements "El" meaning "God" and "nathan" meaning "given." This combination translates to "God has given" or "gift of God." The name first appears in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Ezra, as the name of one of the men who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon after the Babylonian exile in the 5th century BCE.
The name Elnathan is also mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, referring to a different individual who was one of the princes of Judah during the reign of King Jehoiakim in the 7th century BCE. This Elnathan is recorded as having tried to prevent the burning of the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies, suggesting that he may have been sympathetic to the prophet's message.
One of the earliest recorded examples of an individual bearing the name Elnathan is found in the Elephantine Papyri, a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts from the 5th century BCE discovered on the island of Elephantine in Egypt. These papyri mention an Elnathan who was a member of the Jewish community living in Elephantine at that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Elnathan. In the 16th century, Elnathan Parr (1516-1632) was an English centenarian who reportedly lived to the age of 116 years. Another Elnathan, Elnathan Whitman (1623-1688), was a founder of the town of Farmington, Connecticut, and served as a deputy to the General Court of Connecticut in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, Elnathan Kempton (1770-1840) was a delegate from New York to the 16th United States Congress, serving from 1819 to 1821. Elnathan Sweet (1782-1842) was a prominent American lawyer and politician from New York, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1823 to 1825.
More recently, Elnathan John (born 1982) is a contemporary Nigerian writer and satirist, known for his works exploring social and political issues in Nigeria. His novel "Born on a Tuesday" was published in 2015 and received critical acclaim.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Elnathan over time
The chart below shows babies named Elnathan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2009 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Elnathan, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 17 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elnathan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Elnathan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2666 | 31 | 4 |
| 2010s | #2299 | 88 | 9 |
| 2000s | #3744 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Elnathan
- Ethan 77,394
- Edward 53,212
- Elliot 23,450
- Elijah 22,369
- Ellis 19,358
- Elliott 16,964
- Evan 14,535
- Ezra 11,838
- Ewan 10,685
- Eli 8,126
- Elias 7,049
- Eric 6,654
FAQ
Elnathan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Elnathan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Elnathan was ranked #2263 for boys in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Elnathan most popular?
The peak year on record was 2014, with 17 babies registered as Elnathan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Elnathan?
Hebrew name meaning "God has given" or "God's gift".
How many people are called Elnathan in the UK?
A total of 123 babies have been registered as Elnathan across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.