Name of the Week

 

Familiar, but not overly used, Nathaniel feels like 
Jonathan's natural successor.

 

Origin:

From the Hebrew name Nethan'el (נְתַנְאֵל) , composed of the elements nathan (נָתַן) "to give, given" and el (אֵל) "God". The name was borne by several characters in the Old Testament, including a chief of Issachar and a son of Jesse. The Greek form Nathanael was used in the New Testament for an early apostles, often identified as Bartholomew.

Usage:

Back in the Middle Ages, Nathaniel was extremely rare -- in fact, I can only find one example. It was thanks to the Protestant Reformation, in the late 16th century, that several previously rare Old Testament names were brought into popular usage, and Nathaniel was one of those at the forefront of revival.  It was picked up by the aristocracy including the Curzons, Fiennes, Alexanders and Barnardistons.  It is estimated that Nathaniel was the 35th most popular name from 1570 to 1579, and continued to fall within the Top 30 right up to the end of the 17th century.*  In Norfolk, for example, we can see a consistent usage of Nathaniel in baptisms from the 16th to 19th century.  In the 19th century the name was still in steady usage. The 1841 UK census records 6,561 men named Nathaniel and 208 named Nathanael; 91% of whom were living in England, 5% in Scotland, and 4% in Wales In the 1881 UK census the number of Nathaniels listed was still at a very consistent figure of 6,728, and had fallen to 6,053 by the 1901 UK census (84% in England, 9% in Scotland, 7% in Wales).  Of the total births in 1890 in England and Wales, Nathaniel ranked #142, which had fallen to #159 in 1900. In Scotland, however, the name ranked #87 in 1900. In the 20th century, Nathaniel never quite made it into the Top 100 in England and Wales, often fallen within the Top 150. The similar Nathan, however, has been a Top 100-ranker since the 1970s. Since 1996, Nathaniel has had a consistent rank of between #110 and #130 in England and Wales. In 2011, Nathaniel ranked #119 (535 births), Nathanael was #638 (52 births) and Nathanial was #1600 (14 births).  In Scotland the name ranked #239 in 2009, #209 in 2010 and #208 (21 births) in 2011. In Northern Ireland, the name has not had more than 10 births from 1997 to 2011.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Nathaniel Fiennes (1608–1669), politician and Parliamentarian during the Civil War. His grandson Nathaniel (1676–1710) became the 4th Viscount Saye and Sele and the name has since passed down the Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes family. The current (21st) Baron Saye and Sele is Nathaniel Fiennes (b.1920), while another descendant, Ralph Fiennes (b.1962), actor, has it as his middle name. * Nathaniel Smith (1730–1794), a high-ranking official in the Honourable East India Company and later a politician. * Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1735–1811), notable portrait painter and politician.  * Nathaniel Dance (1748–1827) was a commodore in the East India Company who was knighted for his service and hailed as a hero of the Napoleonic Wars. * Nathaniel Bowditch (1773–1838), American mathematician who revolutionised maritime navigation.  * Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864), American novelist. * Nathaniel Buchanan (1826–1901), Australian pioneer and explorer.  * Nat King Cole / Nathaniel Adams Coles (1919–1965), prominent American musician.   Literature: * Sir Nathaniel is a character in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost (1594). * Nathaniel Winkle is a character in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers (1836).

Variants:

Nathanael (Biblical Greek), Nataniel, Natanael (Spanish, Portuguese), Natanaele (Italian)

Pronunciation:

nə-THAN-ee-əl,  nə-THAN-yəl  [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Nat, Nate, Nathan

Sibling Names:

Madeleine     Naomi     Francesca     Rebecca     Martha     Susanna  Jonah     Tobias     Michael     Zachary     Benjamin     Elijah

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical   Terrifically Tudor   Gorgeously Georgian   Shakespearean Names   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Nathaniel you may also like:   Gabriel, Ethan, Jonathan, Raphael, Caleb, Samuel, Daniel, Aaron, Isaac, Jasper