Nathaniel
Meaning of Nathaniel
By cradle and by candlelight, the vocabulum Nathaniel—pronounced in English as nay-THAN-yuhl (/neɪˈθæn.jəl/)—unfurls like a venerable scroll whose ink still gleams with sacral antiquity. Etymologically anchored in the Hebrew נָתַן אֵל (Natan ’El), meaning “God has given,” the name carries the theophoric cadence of a benedictio, reminding every ear that the child so designated is regarded as a celestial munus, a divine gift bestowed. Ecclesial tradition venerates the disciple Nathanael beneath the fig tree, while literary history crowns Nathaniel Hawthorne, and musical heritage echoes in Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “St. Paul,” creating a constellation of cultural references that grants the name scholarly gravitas and poetic resonance. Demographic annals reveal an ascent through the American naming charts—from the modest ranks of early twentieth-century ledgers to a zenith within the sixtieth percentile at the dawn of the millennium—followed by a gentle ebb that presently situates the name near 140th, evidence of durable stature rather than mere fashion. Consequently, Nathaniel offers prospective parents a nomen that harmoniously intertwines scriptural heritage, literary prestige, and quiet modern vigor, a silken thread that binds antiquity to the cradle with dignified warmth.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as nay-THAN-yuhl (/neɪˈθaːnjəl/)
American English
- Pronunced as nay-THAN-yuhl (/neɪˈθeɪnjəl/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Nathaniel
| Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer whose works explore history, morality, and religion. |
| Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general killed in the Civil War and is remembered for thwarting secessionist plans in Missouri in 1861. |
| Nathaniel Weyl was an American economist and author who left the Communist Party in 1939, became a conservative anticommunist, and later played a minor role in the 1952 Alger Hiss case. |
| Nathaniel Alexander Owings was an American architect and cofounder of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, known for skyscrapers and for mediating among clients, contractors, and planning commissions. |
| Nathaniel Bowditch, an early American mathematician, helped found modern maritime navigation with his 1802 book The New American Practical Navigator, still carried aboard every US Naval vessel. |
| Nathaniel, an Irish bred and British trained Thoroughbred, rose from a winless two year old to win the King Edward VII, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and the Eclipse Stakes, and later sired champion Enable. |
| Nathaniel Shilkret was a prominent American musician, composer, conductor, and musical director. |
| Nathaniel Gorham was a Massachusetts Founding Father who presided over the Continental Congress for six months and helped draft and sign the United States Constitution. |
| Nathaniel Chipman was a Yale educated Revolutionary War veteran who championed Vermont statehood and later served as a US Senator, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and the first federal judge for Vermont. |
| Nathaniel Attoh, known as Citizen Attoh, is a Ghanaian master of ceremonies, international boxing ring announcer, and TV and radio journalist best known for hosting Joy Sports Link on Joy 99.7 FM in Ghana. |
| Nathaniel Peabody Rogers was an American lawyer turned abolitionist writer who edited the New England anti-slavery Herald of Freedom from 1838 to 1846 and championed temperance, women’s rights, and animal rights. |
| Nathaniel Lichfield was a pioneering British urban planner who helped shape the 1960s new towns, founded Nathaniel Lichfield Associates in 1962, and received a Royal Town Planning Institute lifetime achievement award in 2004. |
| Nathaniel Green Taylor was a Tennessee lawyer, farmer, and politician who served in the US House in 1854 to 1855 and 1866 to 1867, and later as Commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1867 to 1869. |
| Nathaniel Brown Palmer was a 19th century American sealer, whaler, explorer, and ship captain from Stonington, Connecticut, who explored Antarctica in 1820 on the sloop Hero and gave his name to Palmer Land. |
| Nathaniel Wheeler was an American manufacturer and Democratic Connecticut state senator. |
