Nathaniel

English

Etymology

Modification, under influence of Daniel, of Nathanael, from Ancient Greek Ναθαναήλ (Nathanaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew נְתַנְאֵל (Netan'el, literally “God has given”).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /nəˈθæn.jəl/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Proper noun

Nathaniel

  1. A male given name from Hebrew.
    • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
      Nathaniel's coat, sir, was not fully made,
      And Gabriel's pumps were all unpink'd i' the heel.
    • 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 34, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:
      ‘What’s your Christian name, Sir?’ angrily inquired the little judge. ‘Nathaniel, Sir.’ ‘Daniel—any other name?’ ‘Nathaniel, sir—my Lord, I mean.’ ‘Nathaniel Daniel, or Daniel Nathaniel?’ ‘No, my Lord, only Nathaniel —not Daniel at all.’ ‘What did you tell me it was Daniel for, then, sir?’ inquired the judge.
    • 2010, Sophie Hannah, A Room Swept White, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 102:
      Marcella and Nathaniel. Now I know their names. I haven't thought much about having children, but if I did, I wouldn't give them names like that. They're the sort of names you choose if you think you're someone to be reckoned with.
    • 2025 September 22, Azeen Ghorayshi, “Trump Issues Warning Based on Unproven Link Between Tylenol and Autism”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 September 2025:
      “Doctors have always approached medications in pregnancy by using it only when indicated, lowest dose, for the shortest duration,” said Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola, an adviser to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on environmental issues.

Translations

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick, et al. Oxford Dictionary of First Names (Second Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
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