Nathaniel vs Ethan
How Nathaniel and Ethan compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Nathaniel (boys) vs Ethan (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Nathaniel | Ethan |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2002 — 6,813 boys | 2004 — 22,210 boys |
| Peak rank | #62 | #5 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #140 (2,565 births) | #24 (7,852 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 219,378 | 472,430 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 29,960 | 100,110 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Ethan reached 22,210 US births in 2004 — 15,397 more than Nathaniel's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Nathaniel births | Ethan births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Ethan | 4,348 | 6,989 |
| 1993 | Nathaniel | 4,854 | 4,164 |
| 1996 | Ethan | 5,420 | 5,853 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Nathaniel — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | #93 | 124 |
| 2 | California | #95 | 4,312 |
| 3 | New Jersey | #97 | 936 |
| 4 | Connecticut | #97 | 371 |
| 5 | New York | #99 | 1,958 |
Ethan — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | #7 | 1,997 |
| 2 | New York | #7 | 7,360 |
| 3 | California | #8 | 15,578 |
| 4 | Florida | #10 | 6,485 |
| 5 | New Jersey | #11 | 3,198 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →