| Ezekiel | Nathaniel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God strengthens | God has given |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ih-ZEE-kee-ul | nə-THAN-yəl |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2022 (6,053) | 2002 (6,813) |
| In 2025 | 5,091 | 2,565 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ezekiel | Nathaniel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 33,114 | 16,088 |
| 2010s | 30,377 | 41,890 |
| 2000s | 11,124 | 64,264 |
| 1990s | 3,741 | 52,577 |
| 1980s | 1,522 | 38,652 |
| 1970s | 820 | 19,185 |
| 1960s | 345 | 10,191 |
| 1950s | 416 | 12,389 |
| 1940s | 472 | 9,489 |
| 1930s | 409 | 7,411 |
| 1920s | 514 | 7,794 |
| 1910s | 374 | 4,795 |
| 1900s | 118 | 1,143 |
| 1890s | 115 | 684 |
| 1880s | 144 | 551 |
Ezekiel is from the Hebrew for “God strengthens.”
From Hebrew Netan'el, combining natan 'he gave/given' + el 'God' — 'God has given'. A 'gift of God' name expressed as an act: God has given (this child).
Ezekiel is more popular than Nathaniel today: about 5,091 US babies were given the name Ezekiel in 2025, compared with 2,565 named Nathaniel.
Ezekiel means God strengthens (Hebrew origin), while Nathaniel means God has given (hebrew origin).
In US records, Ezekiel first appears in 1880 and Nathaniel in 1880, so Ezekiel has the longer recorded history.