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Baby names

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Original poster

Nathanial?

31 replies

Freixene · 25/11/2023 08:48

It’s a bit of a compromise as my partner doesn’t like Nathan but we both like Nate as a shortening.
Is it too long/much of a mouthful? We only have a short surname

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lls1990 · 30/11/2023 06:26

I have a nearly 3 year old Nathaniel 😊 we usually use his full name but when texting etc call him Nate and that's slowly starting to be used more to his face now too. I didn't love the name at first (it was a compromise name) but now I love it and Nate definitely suits his personality which is why it's starting to be used more. I hate Nathan and Nat but luckily only one person has ever called him either of those and we just corrected with we prefer to Nate as his nickname and there's been no issue since. I find his name is regularly misspelled though which surprised me. He is Nathaniel but it often gets written as Nathanial

contrary13 · 28/11/2023 20:47

I have a Nathaniel, who goes by the shortened version of Than. His grandfather called him 'Nathan' once and got short shrift of my ex that if we'd wanted to call him that, then we would have. And my ex tried to call him 'Nat' - but my stroppy little boy refused to answer to it. His friends call him 'Nate', though all of his teachers apparently had to use the full version otherwise he'd ignore them... but his sister was the same regarding her name.

He's 19 now and has never encountered another boy in any of his schools with the same name as him, likes that it's "different" without being unique, and will undoubtedly revert back to the "proper" form of it as he gets older. Actually, I've just asked him if he likes his name ("Yeah...") and if he's ever been teased or bullied about it ("No...") and if he'd rather I'd called him something else entirely ("Fuck, no!").

(I actually wanted to call him 'Nate' for short, because, like you @Freixene, I really like it as a shortened version... until my ex very patiently explained to me post-delivery that our oldest's shortened version of her name rhymes with it, and that it would make us sound twee beyond belief... then had to find me cream cakes to apologise because I was sobbing so much... 😂)

StampOnTheGround · 26/11/2023 05:52

I love Nate! Not keen on either of the longer versions though.

mathanxiety · 26/11/2023 05:29

peaceinourtime · 25/11/2023 16:07

I get the short last name but you will just be setting up little Nate/ big Nate as to why he has Nathaniel as a first name but has never gone by it.

He will get over this by age 5.

......
OP, are you familiar with the Big Nate series of books? They are very popular right now among young readers.

Cammac · 26/11/2023 01:34

I like Nathaniel. I prefer Nathan though.

AddictedtoStarmix · 26/11/2023 01:21

I love this name. I would have used it for my son, but unfortunately it doesn't go with our surname.
I know a couple of Nathaniel's of differing ages, both go by Nat as an abbreviation.

Dogsitterwoes · 26/11/2023 01:11

I think Nat and Nate work as given names.

Nathaniel - I'm afraid I just hear Miriam Margoyles saying '...Nathaniel sits on a spike.' in Blackadder.

35andThriving · 25/11/2023 21:59

I like Nathaniel. I think it's underused and lovely.

hby9628 · 25/11/2023 21:38

I agree with @Pinkpinkpink15
I think it's a beautiful name. Strong but gentle. I absolutely love the shortened version of Nate.

Dilbertian · 25/11/2023 20:58

peaceinourtime · 25/11/2023 16:07

I get the short last name but you will just be setting up little Nate/ big Nate as to why he has Nathaniel as a first name but has never gone by it.

Hardly. I know only one Samuel who goes by his full name. All the others are Sams. (I presume they are Samuels!) And the two men I know called Alex are never called Alexander, even though that is their given name.

theduchessofspork · 25/11/2023 19:35

I really like it, and Nate is a nice shortform

(the full version is much nicer than Nathan IMO)

MaloneMeadow · 25/11/2023 17:30

Personally I think it’s a bit of a mouthful. Don’t really see how you can dislike Nathan (which is lovely) but like Nathaniel!

RuthW · 25/11/2023 17:24

Nathaniel is lovely. Also like Jonathan with Nate as a shortening.

peaceinourtime · 25/11/2023 16:07

I get the short last name but you will just be setting up little Nate/ big Nate as to why he has Nathaniel as a first name but has never gone by it.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 25/11/2023 13:20

I love it but my husband didn’t let me use it

MerryChristmasToYou · 25/11/2023 12:16

Nate/Nat could be short for Netanyahu

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 25/11/2023 12:01

Really like it. Great if you have a short surname. I love Nate as a shortening.

Original poster
Freixene · 25/11/2023 11:53

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 25/11/2023 10:55

All of them?

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😂

OP posts:
ZoyaTheDestroyer · 25/11/2023 10:55

GoodVibesHere · 25/11/2023 10:50

I dislike biblical names so wouldn't choose it myself.

All of them?

GoodVibesHere · 25/11/2023 10:50

I dislike biblical names so wouldn't choose it myself.

Pinkpinkpink15 · 25/11/2023 10:47

I love Nate. I'd put Nathaniel on the BC, but introduce him as Nate with everyone & everywhere. It just feels 'limiting' on a BC. Silly really.

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 25/11/2023 10:36

I‘m not too fond of Nathan either tbh.

But Nathaniel / Nathanael is lovely!

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 25/11/2023 10:15

Lovely name. Usually spelt Nathaniel, occasionally Nathanael, but I’d be inclined to use the former as it is much more widely known.

CalamityJaney · 25/11/2023 10:13

No, the occasional second name. I also liked the Nathanael spelling but decided to go with the usual one.

Dilbertian · 25/11/2023 09:34

Many people go through life being called by an abbreviated name and never using the full version of their name. People often don't know the full version of someone's name, or assume that Nate/Ben/Robbie is a nickname, whereas it's actually their full name.

If you want to call your ds Nate, go ahead. Name him Nathaniel, or name him Jonathan, or whatever you like. They are both lovely names, and both are an excuse for the nicknames Nat or Nate. Or you could even name him Nate.

The Nathan part, by the way, means gave / given. Nathaniel means 'given by God', and Jonathan means 'God gave'.