girl's name
Nathalie
nat-a-LEE
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 405,778
Scotland
#757
2008 births
Nathalie is a girl's name meaning birthday of the Lord, given to children born at Christmas. It peaked in France in 1966 at 31,415 births — the largest single-year figure of any name in this group — and has fallen to 3220th there.
- Nathalie is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1966, when 31,415 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 58,952 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Nathalie over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 1,290 |
| 1910s | 770 |
| 1920s | 745 |
| 1930s | 585 |
| 1940s | 655 |
| 1950s | 5,785 |
| 1960s | 197,640 |
| 1970s | 139,645 |
| 1980s | 30,145 |
| 1990s | 4,070 |
| 2000s | 995 |
| 2010s | 520 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 140 |
What Nathalie means
Nathalie means the birthday of the Lord, or Christmas. The Latin phrase behind it names the feast specifically, so the name originally recorded when a child was born rather than describing them.
Where Nathalie comes from
Nathalie is the French form of the Latin Natalia, from dies natalis Domini, the birthday of the Lord — the Roman Christian name for Christmas. Like Tiffany, which marks Epiphany, it is a calendar name: it told you the date, not the child. Saint Natalia, venerated with her husband Adrian in the fourth century, carried it into the Eastern and then Western churches, and the Russian Natalya comes from the same source. The h in the French spelling is decorative and does not reflect the Latin. The name spread through France in the twentieth century with extraordinary speed and fell almost as fast.
Nathalie in use
Nathalie peaked in France in 1966, when 31,415 babies were registered — the highest single-year figure of any name in this group and comparable to the American giants. It now ranks 1481st in the United States on 145 births, 3220th in France on 10 and 3605th in England and Wales, across 405,778 lifetime births. Falling from 31,415 births a year to 10 in its home market is among the sharper collapses we hold outside the American mid-century cohort.
How popular is Nathalie?
In 2025, Nathalie was given to 10 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Nathalie is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Nathalie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Nathalie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Nathalie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Nathalie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Nathalie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Nathalie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Nathalie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Nathalie
What does the name Nathalie mean?
The birthday of the Lord — the Latin name for Christmas, given to children born on the day.
Is it Nathalie or Natalie?
Nathalie is the French spelling with a decorative h; Natalie is the English one. The Latin has no h.
Is Nathalie a Christmas name?
Yes, in the most literal sense — it records the date of birth rather than describing the child.
How popular is Nathalie?
3220th in France, down from a 1966 peak of 31,415 births.
Is Nathalie a girl's or a boy's name?
Nathalie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Nathalie?
Nathalie has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Nathalie?
Nathalie is usually shortened to Nat.
Is Nathalie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Nathalie currently ranks #1,481 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.