Nathanael
Meaning
variant spelling of Nathaniel, meaning 'gift of God'
Nathanael around the world
One shared root links 4 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew natan "he gave"; Netan'el reads "God has given". Nathan is an independent biblical name from the same root that in modern use also serves as Nathaniel's everyday short form
The constellation
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Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Nathanael peaked in the 1990s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
4,884 people · the #2,777 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 41,667 · median age 16
Among people named Nathanael living in Brazil at the 2022 census, roughly as many were born in the 2000s as in the 2010s, more than in any other decade.
The census also counted 658 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Nathanael
Most people given the name Nathanael in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Nathanael deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Nathanael truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Nathanael fits with your family’s names and surname.
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