How to say it
NAT · a · lie
/ˈnæt.ə.li/
Feminine
Natalie
Birthday, Christmas
What it means
From Latin Natalia, 'birthday,' specifically the birthday of Christ. Saint Natalia of Nicomedia, a 4th-century martyr, anchored it in the Christian calendar.
Natalie is a French form of the Latin Natalia, from dies natalis ('day of birth'), specifically Christmas in the Christian sense. Saint Natalia of Nicomedia was a 4th-century martyr whose feast day is December 1; her cult kept the name alive in eastern Europe through the medieval period. The Russian Natalya is the form most familiar in English through Tolstoy's War and Peace. Natalie Wood (1938-1981) and later Natalie Portman gave the English form Hollywood visibility. The name peaked in the US in the mid-2000s and is sliding gently but still solidly in the top 100. Nat is the common short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #13 in 2008, currently #89 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 is the standard short and adult-friendly; Natty is the childhood form.
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.
- Natalie Wood Actress, West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause, 1938-1981
- Natalie Portman Actress, Black Swan (Oscar) and the Star Wars prequels
- Natalie Cole Singer, Nat King Cole's daughter, Unforgettable duet
Spelling variants
- Natalia
- Nathalie
- Natalya
Names with the same feeling
See Natalie from another angle
By style