How to say it
na · TAL · ia
/nəˈtɑl.jə/
Feminine
Natalia
Birthday, Christmas
What it means
Russian/Slavic and Spanish form of Latin Natalia, 'Christmas birthday.' Saint Natalia of Nicomedia + Russian Imperial Natalya + the Spanish-speaking Natalia all share the same root.
Natalia is the Latin form that became Natalya in Russian, Natália in Portuguese, and Natalia in Spanish — all the same root: Latin dies natalis ('birthday'), specifically Christmas. Saint Natalia of Nicomedia, a 4th-century martyr, kept the name alive across Eastern Christian traditions; her feast day is December 1. Natalya Pushkina (the wife of poet Alexander Pushkin) and the Bolshoi's prima ballerina Natalia Makarova give the Russian form weight. In the US Natalia surged with broader Latina-name adoption alongside Natalie; it entered the US top 100 in 2008. Common short: Nat, Talia, Lia.
Popularity over time
peaked at #79 in 2021, currently #144 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Nat, Talia, Tali, and Lia all circulate. Talia is a separate given name in Hebrew tradition.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Saint Natalia of Nicomedia 4th-century martyr, feast day December 1
- Natalya Pushkina Wife of poet Alexander Pushkin, the duel over her honor killed him in 1837
Spelling variants
- Natalya
- Natália
- Natalie
Names with the same feeling
See Natalia from another angle
By style