Nate
Boy name · #1746 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 93 baby boys were named Nate, placing it at #1746 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #1668, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 19,355 boys born in 2025 was named Nate.
Babies named Nate per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Nate first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 5 boys received the name. The high-water mark was 2007: 181 babies, ranked #1038. Since then the trajectory tells the real story — see the chart for the full 145-year arc. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Nate against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Nate in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Nate is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Nate will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Nate is most common
Geography matters for names, and Nate is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Nate is most common in NY (0.1 per 1,000), FL (0.1 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Nate is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Nate
Nate belongs to the Nathaniel family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the Nathaniel family went to about 2,658 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #137, versus #1746 for Nate alone.
Names like Nate
Statistically, parents drawn to Nate tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Neel, Slate, Nahum, Kole, and Rylee.
NeelSlateNahumKoleRyleeTyceNileNolen
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Nate | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 93 | #1743 |
| 2024 | 111 | #1563 |
| 2023 | 110 | #1576 |
| 2022 | 108 | #1611 |
| 2021 | 100 | #1658 |
| 2020 | 79 | #1872 |
| 2019 | 76 | #1938 |
| 2018 | 93 | #1687 |
| 2017 | 83 | #1809 |
| 2016 | 91 | #1706 |
| 2015 | 94 | #1668 |
| 2014 | 104 | #1536 |
| 2013 | 113 | #1459 |
| 2012 | 108 | #1490 |
| 2011 | 132 | #1296 |
| 2010 | 137 | #1267 |
| 2009 | 126 | #1360 |
| 2008 | 137 | #1271 |
| 2007 | 181 | #1038 |
| 2006 | 150 | #1137 |
| 2005 | 141 | #1143 |
| 2004 | 116 | #1287 |
| 2003 | 89 | #1466 |
| 2002 | 91 | #1424 |
| 2001 | 78 | #1543 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Nate a popular boy name?
Nate ranked #1746 among boys in 2025 with 93 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1668.
When was the name Nate most popular?
Nate peaked in 2007, when 181 American boys received the name (ranked #1038 that year). Since 2007 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Nate?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 19,355 newborn American boys was named Nate. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.