Given name · also Ancient Greek
Nathanael
“God has given”
Nathanael is a masculine given name from Ancient Greek, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew.
Original GreekΝαθαναηλ
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nathanael goes back to Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el), meaning “God has given.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Nathanael comes from Ancient Greek, and ultimately from Biblical Hebrew.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English usage, Nathanael developed from Ναθαναήλ.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Nathanael appears in John 1:48, John 1:46, John 21:2.
- John 1:48
- John 1:46
- John 21:2
From biblical name research
Nathanael through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 22,244
- 22,227 boys · 17 girls
- Most popular year
- 2000
- 609 babies
- 2025
- 442
- #632 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- 0%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 442 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 632 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 0.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 609 in 2000. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (64). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 16,476 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nathanael’s family of names
In English usage, Nathanael has a diminutive in Nate. In English usage, Nathanael developed from the Ancient Greek form Ναθαναήλ. Nathanael has a related form in Nathaniel.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nathanael has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Nathanael comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 16
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Nathanael
- Nathanael WestAmerican writer and screenwriter (1903–1940)
- Nathanael GreeneAmerican general in the American Revolutionary War (1742-1786)
- Nathanael PringsheimGerman botanist (1823-1894)
- Nathanael Matthaeus von Wolfastronomer and botanist (1724-1784)
- Nathanael Gottfried LeskeGerman natural scientist and geologist (1751-1786)
- Nathanael of OhridBulgarian cleric, writer and revolutionary1820–1906
- Nathanael Greene HerreshoffAmerican naval architect (1848–1938)
- Nate BargatzeAmerican comedianborn 1979
- Nathan RalphEnglish association football player (born 1993)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Nathanael, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jared
“descent” · “of the descent; descending”
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Seth
“one who has been appointed”
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Emmanuel
“God is with us”
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Darius
“a kingly man; one who is wealthy”
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Uriel
“the angel of light”
98% boys · 2% girls
Zachariah
“The Lord remembers”
>99% boys
Caleb
“dog” · “resembling a dog”
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Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys