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