Nathaniel m
English form of a New Testament name, which is derived from the Greek form of a Hebrew name meaning ‘God has given’ (cf. NATHAN (SEE Nathan), which is sometimes taken as a short form of this name). It was borne by one of the less prominent of Christ's apostles (John 1: 45; 21: 2), who in fact is probably identical with BARTHOLOMEW (SEE Bartholomew). The spelling used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament is Nathanael, but this has never been common as a given name in the English-speaking world. The biblical form of the Old Testament name is Nethaneel; it was the name of the prince of the tribe of Issachar at the time of the Exodus (Numbers 1: 8). The name is little used in other European languages.
Cognate: Italian: Natanaele.
First names dictionary. 2012.