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Nathan as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Nathan

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The baby name Nathan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈneɪθən/ (NAY-thən).

Nathan is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: /ˈneɪθən/ (NAY-thən)

What is the meaning of the name Nathan ?

The baby name Nathan is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈneɪθən/ (NAY-thən).

Nathan is Hebrew in Origin.

Nathan derives from the Hebrew Nātān (נתן), a verb meaning “he gave,” and by extension evokes the idea of a divine gift. In the Hebrew Bible, Nathan is the courageous prophet who advised King David and announced the covenant concerning Solomon, giving the name moral and religious resonance. It appeared in various Jewish and Christian communities throughout late antiquity and the Middle Ages, and later flourished in English-speaking countries, especially with 17th‑century Puritan naming.

Common variants include Natan (Hebrew/Slavic), Nathaniel and Nathanael (expanded forms meaning “God has given”), Netanel/Netan’el (Hebrew), and the Romance spelling Natán in Spanish. Diminutives and short forms are Nate and, less often, Nat. Pronounced NAY-thən in English, it may be nah-TAHN in Hebrew and French contexts. The name enjoyed strong revival in the United States from the 1970s onward and remains internationally familiar for its concise, timeless sound.

Nathan has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Nathan

S. R. Nathan Politician · Born 1924 · Singapore S. R. Nathan, born Sellapan Ramanathan, was best known as the sixth President of Singapore. Often referred to as S. R. Nathan, he served from 1999 to 2011 and was one of Singapore’s longest-serving heads of state. Nathan Lane Actor · Born 1956 · United States Nathan Lane is an American actor best known for his acclaimed stage work and for roles in The Producers, The Birdcage, and The Lion King. Born Joseph Lane on February 3, 1956, he has built a celebrated career across comedy and drama, winning numerous honors including Tony, Emmy, and Olivier Awards. Nathan Kress Actor · Born 1992 · United States Nathan Kress is an American actor best known for playing Freddie Benson on iCarly. He started acting at age three, appearing in television commercials and voicing Easy and Tough Pup in Babe: Pig in the City.
Nathan Trent Actor · Born 1992 · Austria Nathan Trent is an Austrian singer best known for representing Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with his song "Running on Air." Born Nathanaele Koll on 4 April 1992, he finished in 16th place at the competition. Nathan Gamble Actor · Born 1998 · United States Nathan Gamble is an American actor best known for his role as Sawyer Nelson in the family film 'Dolphin Tale' and its sequel 'Dolphin Tale 2'. He began his acting career at a young age and also appeared in movies like 'The Dark Knight' and 'Marley & Me'. Nathan Jones Actor · Born 1969 · Australia Nathan Jones is an Australian actor and former professional wrestler, best known for his role as Rictus Erectus in the film Mad Max: Fury Road. He has also appeared in movies like Troy and Conan the Barbarian.

Celebrity babies named Nathan

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Nathan Hamill Mark Hamill film director ★★★★★

Nathan – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
Germany Boys 2025 #1 — 423
Canada Boys 2024 #13 991 2,588
FJ Boys 0 #16 2 603
France Boys 2021 #19 2,286 2,865
BW 0 #19 1 960
ET Boys 0 #23 5 678
NA 0 #26 8 2,537
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
New Zealand Boys 2010 #33 136 99
HT Boys 0 #33 2 903
IT Boys 2024 #35 1,005 47
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
MT 0 #40 4 1,767
Switzerland Boys 2024 #42 113 1,769
BI Boys 0 #43 2 917
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
CM 0 #53 4 2,592
Belgium Boys 2024 #54 148 401
United States Boys 2024 #61 5,010 7,044
LU 0 #63 4 2,830
JP 0 #71 7 4,057
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
AO 0 #76 2 2,729
CN 0 #78 9 3,857
MV Boys 0 #79 1 3,375
JM 0 #86 8 3,714
PH 0 #87 10 5,607
TW 0 #91 10 4,523
QA 0 #100 7 7,011
MT Boys 0 #101 83 4,064
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
ID Boys 0 #112 20 4,130
BN Boys 0 #114 20 6,332
OM 0 #115 7 6,215
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
EE Boys 0 #123 3 2,087
Norway Boys 2025 #125 10 444
CY Boys 0 #125 7 3,473
BW Boys 0 #128 22 4,685
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
CR 0 #132 27 5,526
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
NA Boys 0 #146 92 6,830
ZA 0 #147 341 14,421
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
Sweden Boys 2022 #159 24 1,509
PH Boys 0 #161 272 11,440
AE 0 #165 13 10,220
JM Boys 0 #165 114 6,876
PR Boys 0 #165 10 2,508
HU Boys 0 #169 6 3,954
MO Boys 0 #169 55 5,842
LU Boys 0 #171 48 4,970
BR Boys 0 #174 2,214 12,213
TW Boys 0 #178 65 7,111
UY 0 #182 1 2,477
PS 0 #183 36 5,692
ZA Boys 0 #187 3,524 25,619
RU 0 #192 3 3,641
AR 0 #193 1 2,915
CN Boys 0 #199 129 9,639
DK 0 #200 7 5,198
SI Boys 0 #210 2 3,402
PL 0 #211 2 2,600
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
BG Boys 0 #219 2 3,850
IL 0 #222 53 6,291
GH 0 #227 17 5,396
AO Boys 0 #228 15 5,568
HK Boys 0 #228 507 12,905
SG Boys 0 #228 714 17,960
EC Boys 0 #230 10 3,322
NG 0 #230 35 5,926
GH Boys 0 #231 120 8,138
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
CR Boys 0 #239 334 10,188
MU Boys 0 #239 124 8,477
BD 0 #240 2 5,992
SG 0 #243 27 11,010
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
HR Boys 0 #254 6 3,997
JP Boys 0 #257 41 7,909
MO Girls 0 #260 4 7,056
BR 0 #262 85 5,969
CM Boys 0 #265 388 12,054
GR Boys 0 #268 6 6,912
SA 0 #284 12 10,560
Canada Girls 2000 #288 5 2,355
TW Girls 0 #288 2 8,139
CZ Boys 0 #291 14 6,530
KZ Boys 0 #294 3 6,578
MY 0 #294 37 12,352
IL Boys 0 #295 411 10,983
HK 0 #302 47 8,483
AL Boys 0 #303 1 5,122
QA Girls 0 #307 10 15,378
DK Boys 0 #308 18 7,401
PL Boys 0 #312 24 6,459
MY Boys 0 #319 1,361 25,439
NL Boys 0 #320 1,103 5,873
NL 0 #320 72 2,481
PE 0 #323 7 6,350
PT Boys 0 #325 43 7,951
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GH Girls 0 #335 3 6,973
GT 0 #336 3 5,948
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
PS Boys 0 #342 223 10,655
CN Girls 0 #357 3 8,829
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
PH Girls 0 #381 10 13,098
UY Boys 0 #382 18 5,922
JO Boys 0 #384 6 7,057
France Girls 2004 #393 3 2,919
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
NG Boys 0 #398 943 16,906
MX 0 #399 15 8,339
BO 0 #400 9 6,868
Finland Boys 0 #404 24 2,041
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
Germany 0 #419 19 2,542
OM Girls 0 #419 6 15,987
Austria Boys 0 #420 23 2,180
PA Boys 0 #428 54 9,305
CL 0 #429 6 6,867
Spain 0 #440 13 2,326
AR Boys 0 #449 19 7,628
GT Boys 0 #450 25 7,625
SD Boys 0 #461 6 10,523
RU Boys 0 #463 43 12,621
CO 0 #467 14 7,768
BH 0 #501 53 17,937
CM Girls 0 #505 36 11,671
KW Girls 0 #506 10 19,177
Finland Boys 2026 #514 183 3,552
QA Boys 0 #515 193 18,093
PA Girls 0 #517 2 9,861
RU Girls 0 #523 1 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
CL Boys 0 #533 135 13,390
IR Boys 0 #538 15 10,162
AE Girls 0 #541 13 20,968
PS Girls 0 #545 3 10,981
BO Boys 0 #548 45 9,244
SG Girls 0 #550 37 18,916
LY 0 #555 5 12,703
CR Girls 0 #573 1 11,342
BD Boys 0 #599 7 10,045
KW Boys 0 #621 149 18,755
AR Girls 0 #630 1 8,289
HK Girls 0 #644 7 16,104
IL Girls 0 #644 2 11,648
LB 0 #645 14 13,263
IN Girls 0 #648 7 13,121
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
MX Boys 0 #653 349 16,355
IT 0 #658 57 4,183
IQ Boys 0 #689 9 13,071
Spain Boys 0 #707 229 5,610
IT Boys 0 #725 930 10,046
NG Girls 0 #725 62 15,093
CO Boys 0 #755 167 15,656
OM Boys 0 #755 127 17,948
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
PE Boys 0 #773 106 14,506
EG Boys 0 #779 108 15,035
AE Boys 0 #784 316 22,615
Germany Boys 0 #800 153 5,697
TN 0 #814 16 13,765
SA Girls 0 #901 35 25,931
IN Boys 0 #907 95 16,750
United States Girls 2024 #909 8 8,487
CL Girls 0 #910 6 14,098
BR Girls 0 #918 24 12,708
NL Girls 0 #946 10 5,933
MY Girls 0 #954 41 24,821
EG Girls 0 #1,003 7 14,742
PE Girls 0 #1,008 3 14,861
CO Girls 0 #1,065 14 16,140
MA 0 #1,084 45 20,986
ZA Girls 0 #1,097 45 25,928
DZ 0 #1,140 37 20,130
SA Boys 0 #1,147 500 28,008
MX Girls 0 #1,174 10 17,781
TR 0 #1,175 37 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,429 18 9,415

Nathan is popular in 92 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Nathan

Nathan is predominantly a boy's name.
Nathan is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈneɪθən/ (NAY-thən).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Nate, Nat, Nathen, Nathon, Natan and Nathanael (related).
Across languages, Nathan has these equivalents: {'Hebrew': 'Natan (נתן), 'Russian': 'Натан (Natan), 'Arabic': 'ناثان (Nāthān).
Yes, very popular — Nathan ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 14 countries.
Nathan ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Nathan's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.
Yes — 9 notable people named Nathan are in our database, including S. R. Nathan (Politician), Nathan Lane (Actor), Nathan Kress (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Nathan for their child, including Mark Hamill.