Nathanael

Nathanael

The biblical Nathanael depicted in stained glass.
Pronunciation	/nəˈθæniəl/
Gender	Masculine
Origin
Word/name	Hebrew
Meaning	"God has given" or "Gift of God"
Other names
Nicknames	Nat, Nate
Related names	Jonathan, Nathan, Nathaniel, Elnathan

Nathanael (Greek: Ναθαναήλ, Hebrew: נְתַנְאֵל, romanized: natan'el, lit. 'given by God') is an English name of Hebrew origin.^[1] It is of Biblical origin and holds significance for Jews and Christians. Several figures in both the Old and New Testament bear the name. Figures in the Old Testament, which is transliterated from Hebrew, have their names rendered as Nethanel in English whereas those in the New Testament, which is translated from Greek, have theirs rendered as Nathanael. Since the early 20th century, the most common English spelling is Nathaniel, a change likely influenced by the popularity of other Biblical names ending in -iel (e.g. Daniel, Gabriel, Uriel). Bearers may use the nicknames Nate or Nathan. The name and its derivatives may appear in patronymic surnames such as Nathanson and Barnathan.^[2]

Appearances in the Bible

• Nethanel ben Zuar; that is, the son of Zuar, chief of the tribe of Issachar and one of the leaders of the tribes of Israel during the Exodus (Numbers 1:8; 2:5, 7:18, 23; 10:15).
• Nethanel ben Jesse (1 Chronicles 2:14); one of David's brothers
• A priest who blew the trumpet before the ark when it was brought up to Jerusalem (1 Chr. 15:24).
• A Levite (1 Chr. 24:6).
• A temple porter, of the family of the Korhites (1 Chr. 26:4).
• One of the "princes" appointed by Jehoshaphat to teach the law through the cities of Judah (2 Chr. 17:7).
• A chief Levite in the time of Josiah (2 Chr. 35:9).
• A son of Passhur, one of the biblical priests who had taken a pagan wife but repented according to Ezra 10:22.
• Neh. 12:21.
• A priest's son who bore a trumpet at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:36).
• Nathanael of Cana (Gospel of John)

Notable people named Nathanael

A

• Nate Ackerman (born 1978), a British-American mathematician and wrestler
• Netanel Artzi (born 1997), Israeli basketball player

B

• Nathanael Ball (1623–1681), an English clergyman, assistant to Brian Walton in his London Polyglot Bible
• Nate Bargatze (born 1979), an American comedian and actor
• Nathanael Barnes (born 1987), an Australian rugby league footballer
• Nathanael Burwash (1839–1918), a Canadian methodist, minister and university administrator

C

• Nathanael Carpenter (1589 – c. 1628), an English author, philosopher, and geographer
• Nathanael Chalmers (1830–1910), a New Zealand pastoralist, explorer, politician, planter, sugar miller and magistrate

D

• Nathanael Diesel (1692–1745), a Danish composer

E

• Nathanael Emmons (1745–1840), an American congregational minister

F

• Nathanael Fouquet (born 1972), a French slalom canoeist

G

• Nathanael Gray, a professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School
• Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), Major General of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War
• August Nathanael Grischow (1726–1760), a German mathematician and astronomer

H

• Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (1848–1938), American naval architect

J

• Nathanael Jones (c. 1624 – 1683), a Welsh gentleman-poet

L

• Nathanael Gottfried Leske (1751–1786), a German scientist and geologist
• Johann Nathanael Lieberkühn (1711–1756), a German Physician
• Nathanael Liminski (born 1985), a German politician

M

• Nathanael Matthaeus von Wolf (1724–1784), a German botanist, physician and astronomer
• Nathanael Mbourou (born 1996), a Gabonese professional footballer

N

• Nat Neujean (1923–2018), a Belgian sculptor

O

• Nate Oats (born 1974), an American basketball coach
• Nathanael Ogbeta (born 2001), an English footballer
• Nathanael of Ohrid (1820–1906), a Bulgarian cleric, writer and revolutionary from Macedonia
• Nathanael Orr (1917–2016), an Australian politician

P

• Nathanael G. Pendleton (1793–1861), an American politician
• Nathanael Pringsheim (1823–1894), a German botanist

R

• Nathan Ralph (born 1993), an English footballer
• Nathanael Richards (1630–1654), an English dramatist

S

• Nate Saint (1923–1956), an evangelical Christian missionary pilot
• Nathanael Saleh (born 2006), an English actor
• Nathanael Salmon (1675–1742), an English antiquary
• Nathanaël (born Nathalie Stephens, 1970), Canadian writer and translator

V

• Nathanael Villanueva (born 1995), a Filipino footballer

W

• Nathanael West (1903–1940), American writer
• Nathanael Wiseman, an entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Award-winning production company Redeeming Features

People with the name Nathanial

• Nathanial Saltonstall (c. 1639 – 1707), American judge

See also

• Nathaniel
• Natanael (given name)
• Nathan (given name)
• Nate (given name)
• Nethaneel
• Netanyahu (surname)
• All pages with titles beginning with Nathanael
• All pages with titles beginning with Nathanial

References

1. Hanks, Patrick, et al. Oxford Dictionary of First Names (Second Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
2. "Nathanson Surname/Last Name: Meaning, Origin, Family History". discover.23andme.com. Retrieved 2025-06-17.