Given name & surname
Nat
“he has given”·“God has given”
In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Nathan. Nathan’s Hebrew meaning is “he has given,” traditionally understood as “God has given.” In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Natalie. One Latin interpretation is “born on Christmas Day; refers to Christ's birthday.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Nathan. Nathan’s Hebrew meaning is “he has given,” traditionally understood as “God has given.” In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Natalie. One Latin interpretation is “born on Christmas Day; refers to Christ's birthday.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Nathan. Nathan has Hebrew biblical roots and an independent history before its use as a modern short form.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Nat is used as a shortened form of Nathan. In English use, Nat is used as a shortened form of Nathaniel. In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Nathan. The shared background comes through Nathan: Nathan can stand as its own biblical name. Nathan has also been used as a short form of Nathaniel or Jonathan, but those later naming practices do not fully explain its origin.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Nathan. The history of Nathan gives this family its wider story. In the biblical account, Nathan is the prophet who confronts King David over the death of Uriah and David’s relationship with Bathsheba. Another Nathan is one of David’s sons. In English use, Nat is a diminutive of Natalie. The history of Natalie gives this family its wider story. Natalie’s historical associations include the actress Natalie Wood.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Nat through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,162
- 2,162 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 61 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 61 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,229 as a first name in 2020; 318 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nat’s family of names
In English usage, Nat is a diminutive of Nathan. Nat has a related form in Natalie. Nat is a short form of Nathan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nat has relatives in 3 languages.
9 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nat
- Nat King ColeAmerican singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)
- Nat LofthouseEnglish footballer (1925-2011)
- Nat WolffAmerican actor, musician, and singer-songwriterborn 1994
- Nat PhillipsEnglish association football playerborn 1997
- Nat FaxonAmerican actorborn 1975
- Nat AdderleyAmerican jazz cornet and trumpet player (1931–2000)
- Nat HentoffAmerican music critic, born 1925 (1925–2017)
- Nat PendletonAmerican Olympic wrestler and actor (1895–1967)
- Nat FriedmanAmerican computer programmerborn 1977
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Nat, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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