Gender:

Male

Meaning:

gift (from Hebrew: natan/ mattan)

History & etymology:

Nathan is a Biblical name of a prophet. It stems from the word mattan, which means ‘gift’. It is a short form of the name Nathaniel.

The patron saint of the name is St. Nathanael (alternatively, he is called Bartholomew in the Bible). He was one of the Apostles of Jesus. He was present while Jesus performed his miracle in Cana. St. Nathanael was a missionary in India and Armenia. King Astyages of Armenia had him sentenced to death for preaching. St. Nathanael’s feast day is celebrated on 24th August.

Alternative spellings & nicknames:

Natan, Naethan, Naethon, Naethen
Related names: Nathaniel, Nathanael
Diminutives: Nat, Nate

Similar names in other languages & name days:

France
7th May: Nathan

Poland
12th July: Natan

Slovak Republic
29th December: Nátan

Ukraine
22nd April: Natan

USA
13th July: Nathan, Nathanael, Nathaniel

Yiddish: Nussen, Nosson

Famous people named Nathan:

Nathan Adrian (1988-) - American swimmer, gold medalist
Nathan Amos (1979-) - South African- Israeli rugby player
Nathan Brown (1993-) - Australian rugby player
Nathan Fillion (1971-) - Canadian actor
Nathan Gamble (1998-) - American actor
Nathan Kress (1992-) - American actor
Nathan Lane (1956-) - American stage actor
Nathan Law (1993-) - Chinese politician
Nathan M. Rotschild (1777 - 1836) - German banker
Nathan Sykes (1993-) - English pop singer
Nathan Yonatan (1923 - 2004) - Israeli poet

Fun facts:

Popularity (2015)

USA: 38th
England and Wales: 64th
Canada: 16th
Australia: 80th
New Zealand: 52nd
Ireland: 32nd
Northern Ireland: 51st      
Scotland: 29th

Belgium: 10th
France: 1st  
Italy: 76th
Netherlands: 67th
Switzerland: 36th

Lucky colors: red, green
Lucky stone: Obsidian, Coral
Ruling planet: Jupiter
Characteristics: calm, caring, home loving, family-oriented, excellent parent