Nathanael Explained

Nathanael
Gender:	Masculine
Meaning:	"God has given" or "Gift of God"
Origin:	Hebrew
Related Names:	Jonathan, Nathan, Nathaniel
Nickname:	Nat, Nate

Nathanael is a biblical given name derived from the Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el), which means "God/El has given" or "Gift of God/El."^[1] Nathaniel is the variant form of this name and it stands to this day as the usual and most common spelling for a masculine given name. Other variants include Nathanel, Netanel and Nathanial.

Several figures in the Bible bear forms of this name. In the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), the name is shared by a prince (or chieftain) of the Tribe of Issachar (Numbers 7:18–23, in the Naso parsha)^[2] and by a brother of King David (1 Chronicles 2:14).^[3] In the New Testament, Nathanael is said to be an early follower of Jesus of Nazareth, according to the Gospel of John (1:45; 21:2).

The related name Elnathan could be rendered "Gift of El" (Hebrew God). Four people named Elnathan are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible: one at Kings 24:8, and three in Ezra 8:15–20. A similar ancient name with the same meaning as Elnathan, is Jonathan which signifies "YHWH has given".

In the Bible

• Nathanael (follower of Jesus) in the Gospel of John

Notable people with this name

A

• Nate Ackerman (born 1978), a British-American mathematician and wrestler

B

• Nathanael Ball (1623–1681), an English clergyman, assistant to Brian Walton in his London Polyglot Bible
• Nate Bargatze (born 1979), an American comedian and actor
• Nathanael Barnes (born 1987), an Australian rugby league footballer
• Nathanael Burwash (1839–1918), a Canadian methodist, minister and university administrator

C

• Nathanael Carpenter (1589 – c. 1628), an English author, philosopher, and geographer
• Nathanael Chalmers (1830–1910), a New Zealand pastoralist, explorer, politician, planter, sugar miller and magistrate

D

• Nathanael Diesel (1692–1745), a Danish composer

E

• Nathanael Emmons (1745–1840), an American congregational minister

F

• Nathanael Fouquet (born 1972), a French slalom canoeist

G

• Nathanael Gray, a professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School
• Nathanael Greene (1742–1786), Major General of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War
• August Nathanael Grischow (1726–1760), a German mathematician and astronomer

H

• Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (1848–1938), American naval architect

J

• Nathanael Jones (c. 1624 – 1683), a Welsh gentleman-poet

L

• Nathanael Gottfried Leske (1751–1786), a German scientist and geologist
• Johann Nathanael Lieberkühn (1711–1756), a German Physician
• Nathanael Liminski (born 1985), a German politician

M

• Nathanael Matthaeus von Wolf (1724–1784), a German botanist, physician and astronomer
• Nathanael Mbourou (born 1996), a Gabonese professional footballer

N

• Nat Neujean (1923–2018), a Belgian sculptor

O

• Nate Oats (born 1974), an American basketball coach
• Nathanael Ogbeta (born 2001), an English footballer
• Nathanael of Ohrid (1820–1906), a Bulgarian cleric, writer and revolutionary from Macedonia
• Nathanael Orr (1917–2016), an Australian politician

P

• Nathanael G. Pendleton (1793–1861), an American politician
• Nathanael Pringsheim (1823–1894), a German botanist

R

• Nathan Ralph (born 1993), an English footballer
• Nathanael Richards (1630–1654), an English dramatist

S

• Nate Saint (1923–1956), an evangelical Christian missionary pilot
• Nathanael Saleh (born 2006), an English actor
• Nathanael Salmon (1675–1742), an English antiquary
• Nathanaël (born Nathalie Stephens, 1970), Canadian writer and translator

V

• Nathanael Villanueva (born 1995), a Filipino footballer

W

• Nathanael West (1903–1940), American writer
• Nathanael Wiseman, an entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Award-winning production company Redeeming Features

People with the name Nathanial

• Nathanial Saltonstall (circa 1639–1707), American judge

See also

• Nathaniel
• Natanael (given name)
• Nathan (given name)
• Nate (given name)
• Nethaneel

References

1. Hanks, Patrick, et al. Oxford Dictionary of First Names (Second Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
2. Web site: The Dilemma of Nisanel ben Tzuar . 7 June 2002 . Torah.org . en-US. 2019-08-22.
3. Web site: Boys' Names . Simmons . Rabbi Shraga . January 2007 . aish.com . en . 2019-02-12.