UK boy's name
Nathanael
A masculine given name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
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.
Nathanael is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Nathanael popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #924, with 34 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 75 births.
This profile covers 1,444 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 45% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,501 living people in the UK are called Nathanael. 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
- • Nathanael ranked #924 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 34 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2013, when 75 boys were registered as Nathanael.
- • Nathanael ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #395 in 2023.
- • About 1,501 living people in the UK are estimated to have Nathanael as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#924
2024
Births in 2024
34
Latest year
Peak year
2013
75 births
Estimated living
1,501
2026
Meaning
What does Nathanael mean?
The name Nathanael has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is a biblical name derived from the Hebrew words "נתן" (Natan) meaning "given" and "אל" (El) meaning "God", forming the combined meaning of "gift of God".
Nathanael is the name used in some translations of the Bible for one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who is also referred to as Bartholomew in other translations. He is first mentioned in the Gospel of John, where Jesus recognizes him as "an Israelite in whom there is no deceit".
The earliest recorded use of the name Nathanael dates back to ancient biblical times, appearing in the New Testament of the Bible. Apart from the apostle Nathanael, one of the first notable individuals with this name was Nathanael Durand, a French Protestant theologian and author born in 1590.
In the 17th century, Nathanael Carpenter (1589-1628) was an English writer and philosopher. Nathanael Greene (1742-1786) was a major general in the American Revolutionary War, known for his successful command in the Southern campaigns.
Nathanael West (1903-1940) was an American author and satirist, best known for his novel "The Day of the Locust". Nathanael Herreshoff (1848-1938) was a renowned American naval architect and engineer, known for his innovative yacht designs.
Nathanael Hawthorne (1804-1864) was a famous American novelist and short story writer, author of "The Scarlet Letter" and other notable works. His name was originally spelled Nathaniel, but he added the "a" to make it more distinct.
While the name Nathanael has biblical origins and historical references, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, with different spellings and variations, such as Nathaniel, Nathanial, Nathanael, or Nathanël.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Nathanael over time
The chart below shows babies named Nathanael registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Nathanael, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 34 births in 2024, compared with 75 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nathanael by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Nathanael 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 | #912 | 168 | 5 |
| 2010s | #632 | 559 | 10 |
| 2000s | #519 | 514 | 10 |
| 1990s | #418 | 203 | 4 |
Geography
Where Nathanael is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Nathanael. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Nathanael ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #395 in 2023.
Across the UK
Nathanael in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#619 in 2024
14 years of NRS records, 51 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#395 in 2023
6 years of NISRA records, 18 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Nathanael
-
Nathanael Saleh
actor
British actor
2006-
-
Nathanael Ogbeta
association football player
English footballer (2001-)
2001-
-
Nathanael Halbert
ice hockey player
British ice hockey player
1995-
-
Nathanael Salmon
historian; folklorist
English antiquary
1675-1742
Related
Names similar to Nathanael
- Noah 72,596
- Nathan 46,860
- Nicholas 15,983
- Nathaniel 12,151
- Niall 5,746
- Nicolas 3,825
- Nico 3,532
- Nate 2,029
- Nikodem 1,872
- Noel 1,865
- Ned 1,614
- Neo 1,563
FAQ
Nathanael: questions and answers
How popular is the name Nathanael in the UK right now?
In 2024, Nathanael was ranked #924 for boys in England and Wales, with 34 births registered.
When was Nathanael most popular?
The peak year on record was 2013, with 75 babies registered as Nathanael in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Nathanael?
A masculine given name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
How many people are called Nathanael in the UK?
A total of 1,444 babies have been registered as Nathanael across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 51 more in Scotland and 18 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Nathanael most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Nathanael ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #395 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.