Nathan

Nathan meaning

Nathan is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin.

Given; from nathan, to give

Also used to mean: he gave

Nathan is a Hebrew name formed from the verb nathan, "to give". Strong's Concordance glosses it simply as "given", and notes that five men in the Hebrew Bible bore it. The best known is Nathan the prophet, an adviser at the court of King David. When David took Bathsheba and arranged the death of her husband, Nathan confronted him with the parable of the poor man's lamb and the words "Thou art the man" (2 Samuel 12:7); he later helped to secure the throne for Solomon. Another Nathan, a son of David, appears in Luke's genealogy of Jesus. Name lists give "given" or "he gave". In India the name is used in Christian families, and also as a short form of Nathaniel.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H5416 · entry Nathan · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Strong's Hebrew 5416, Nathan (Bible Hub) · 2 Samuel 12 (KJV, Bible Hub)

Famous namesakes

• Nathan the prophet, adviser to King David

Popularity abroad

• #63 United States, boys 2025 (down 1 from 62 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #99 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Related names

Also meaning gift

Also starting with Nat-

More names of Hebrew origin

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