Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Nate?
Births per year, rank history and how many Nates are alive today.
Nate (male) is a shortened form of the name Nathan (and sometimes of Nathaniel). Although Nate itself was given to 103 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 396th as a registered name), most Nates are registered as Nathan, which ranked 99th in 2025 with 528 babies.
Most people called Nate are registered as Nathan, and share that name's profile: the Nathan you are most likely to meet is around 32 years old. Half of all Nathans born in England and Wales are between 22 and 41, and there are at least 100,000 of them alive today. Only some Nathans go by Nate.
How many babies are named Nate or Nathan each year?
Combined registrations of Nathan, Nate. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Nathan rank as a registered name?
Where does Nate rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Nate short for Nathan?
Yes - Nate is a shortened form of Nathan. It is also used for Nathaniel. Nates are usually registered as Nathan at birth.
When was the name Nate most popular?
The full name Nathan peaked in 1994, when around 3,500 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Nate itself peaked as a registered name in 2020, with 147 babies.
How many people are called Nate?
There's no official count of people who go by Nate, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 100,000 people registered as Nathan born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Nate.
How old is the typical Nate?
Most people called Nate are registered as Nathan. Most living Nathans are between 22 and 41; the most common age is about 32.
Is Nate becoming more or less popular?
Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1994 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.