Natnael
An Ethiopian masculine name meaning "God has given".
Name Census estimates that about 371 living Americans carry the first name Natnael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Natnael today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Natnael births was 2016 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Natnael. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Natnael with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
371
~ 1 in 923,866 Americans
Peak year
2016
26 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,573
Tracked since 1991
Census
Natnael in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 837 people with the first name Natnael, which placed it at #14,166 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,166
National first-name rank
People counted
837
837 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
96.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Natnael
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Natnael is Black at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Natnael described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Natnael at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.8% · 810
- White1.8% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 7
- Two or more races0.6% · 5
Popularity
Natnael: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Natnael from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 169 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Natnael remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Natnael by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Natnael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Natnaels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Natnael
The name Natnael originates from the Amharic language spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is derived from the Hebrew name Nathaniel, which means "gift of God" or "God has given". The name has its roots in Biblical times and appears in the New Testament as the name of one of Jesus's disciples.
In its original Hebrew form, the name is spelled נְתַנְאֵל (Nəṯanᵊʼel). The Amharic version, Natnael, likely evolved from the Arabic transcription of the Hebrew name, نَاتَانِيَال (Nataniyal). The name has been popular among Ethiopian Christians for centuries and is associated with the ancient Semitic cultures of the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Natnael was Natnael Wossen, an Ethiopian prince and military leader who lived in the late 18th century. He played a significant role in the conflicts between the kingdoms of Shewa and Gonder during that period.
Another notable figure was Natnael Imru, an Ethiopian diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia from 1923 to 1926. He was a prominent figure in the early years of modern Ethiopia and played a role in the country's diplomatic relations with other nations.
In the realm of literature, Natnael Yeshitila (1902-1981) was an influential Amharic writer and poet. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern Amharic literature and his works explored themes of social justice and cultural identity.
Moving to the 20th century, Natnael Mekonnen (1923-1978) was an Ethiopian military officer and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1957 to 1960 and played a key role in the country's political landscape during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie.
More recently, Natnael Berhane (born 1990) is a contemporary Eritrean-American singer and songwriter. He is known for his contributions to the Eritrean musical scene and has released several popular albums that blend traditional Eritrean styles with modern influences.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Natnael throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in the cultures of the Horn of Africa and its enduring significance across various fields.
People
Natnael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Natnael as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Natnael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Natnael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 371 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Natnael going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 923,866 US residents.
Is Natnael a common name?
We classify Natnael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 375 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Natnael most popular?
The single biggest year for Natnael was 2016, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Natnael is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Natnael in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 837 people with the name Natnael, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,166 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Natnael in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Natnael?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Natnael appears almost entirely male. Of the 839 people counted with this name, 99.9% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Natnael?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Natnael is Black at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Natnael most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Natnael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (810 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Natnael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Natnael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Natnael in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Natnael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Natnael in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Natnael can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Natnael?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Natnael at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.