embrisa.
embrisa.
Theme
Masculine

Nathaniel

/nəˈθæn.jəl/

Gift of God

Hebrew

How to say it

na · THAN · iel

/nəˈθæn.jəl/

What it means

Hebrew Netanʾel ('gift of God,' nathan 'gave' + ʾēl 'God'). A New Testament apostle often identified with Bartholomew. The longer formal cousin of Nathan.

Nathaniel is the longer form of Nathan, from the Hebrew Netanʾel ('gift of God'). In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is one of Jesus's first followers; tradition identifies him with the apostle Bartholomew. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter, is the strongest English-language literary anchor. The English Nathaniel was steady through the centuries, peaked in the 1990s with the biblical-name revival, and is sliding gently now. Nate is the universal short (shared with Nathan); Nat is the older form.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1 #27618802025

peaked at #60 in 1998, currently #140 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

    Nate is the universal short, shared with the standalone Nathan. Some families use the formal Nathaniel and short Nate to honor both.

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.

  • Nathaniel Hawthorne American novelist, The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables
  • Nathaniel (Bible) Apostle in the Gospel of John, traditionally identified with Bartholomew

Spelling variants

  • Nathanael
  • Nathan
  • Natan