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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Final baby name decision — Nathaniel or Arthur

34 replies

Claire1225 · 26/01/2026 12:53

Last vibe check - would love opinions! Nathaniel or Arthur - what are we saying?

Surname is pronounced like Leo.

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Rockyhorrors · 16/02/2026 13:57

Detest Nathaniel, Arthur is perfectly fine.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 27/01/2026 20:12

Definitely Nathaniel . I love it especially shortened to Nate

Losingitalloveragain · 27/01/2026 16:13

Arthur by a country mile

MinPinSins · 27/01/2026 16:12

Nathaniel. The UK does not need any more Arthurs! Very overdone.

Yiayoula · 27/01/2026 08:54

Nathaniel/Nat/ Nate all the way !

Arthur is DH’s middle name, and goes back generations in his family - let’s just say we chose to ditch tradition when our own son was born ….

littlemousebigcheese · 27/01/2026 08:50

Arthur is wet and awful imo. Nathaniel is better, can be Nate or Nathan

Calliopespa · 27/01/2026 08:47

Both good, sensible but not overused names.

I like them both.

user1492757084 · 27/01/2026 06:59

I once spoke to a little boy who called himself Naffanel.
He was very cute.
I like Art for a nick name. That's why I voted for Arthur.

LilyEmmeline · 27/01/2026 00:06

Nathaniel is lovely and fairly timeless. Even though it’s Biblical it makes me think of the author Hawthorne first - so a literary, arty vibe.

Arthur is nice too but I’m not keen on how trendy it is again (one of those names that only younger kids or very elderly men seem to have, as it falls in and out of fashion). It does make me think of King Arthur though, which obviously would be a fun namesake for a young boy.

LadyGAgain · 26/01/2026 23:32

Arthur is awesome.
nathaniel is a bit wet. Nathan is awful. But Nate is cool. Challenging!!

Pettenell · 26/01/2026 23:16

It's too late for me to vote, but I would have chosen Arthur.

LeopardsANeutral · 26/01/2026 17:49

Nathaniel, but I’d shorten it to Nate. I looooove Nate, I wanted to use it for my boy but it’s too close to my own name, I thought it would sound silly.

DuchessOfNarcissex · 26/01/2026 17:22

@Lollylavender , Nuth-AN-yel. Rhymes with Daniel.
It's a name from the Bible (Meaning, origin and history of the name Nathaniel - Behind the Name) and a character in The Pickwick Papers.

Lollylavender · 26/01/2026 17:04

How do you actually pronounce Nathaniel?
Nathan yell? Like Nathan & Daniel combined?

StripedVase · 26/01/2026 16:21

Best of luck to you & welcome to him when he comes!

Kindnesscostsnothingtryit · 26/01/2026 15:01

I love Nathan, not keen on the iel bit. Ok written down but so.long winded when you're saying it every 5 minutes, which you will be.

pouletvous · 26/01/2026 14:59

I prefer Nathanial because Arr-ferr

Original poster
Claire1225 · 26/01/2026 14:55

Thanks all and i really appreciate your comments! we’ll go with Nathaniel, but he goes by Nate. Love this nn!

OP posts:
ThatMintMember · 26/01/2026 14:32

Ketchupmunchies · 26/01/2026 14:27

My 17 yo nephew is a teenage Arthur - I can 100% imagine it HmmGrin

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Haha, perfect then! I like to imagine the name at all ages 😂 I could imagine an old man and a little boy but not in-between

Doubletroubledoubled · 26/01/2026 14:29

I always feel sorry for little ones that have a long name when they start having to write it.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with either name, they are just not to my taste.
Unless you make it clear that you don’t want Nathaniel shortened I think he’ll end up being called Nat or Nate. Would that worry you?

EasyPianoTunes · 26/01/2026 14:28

For me Arthur is a bit too popular, so I'd go Nathaniel/Nat/Nate. If you'll be using the full version be aware that it will runn into your surname so might sound a bit Nathanielio.

Ketchupmunchies · 26/01/2026 14:27

ThatMintMember · 26/01/2026 14:25

Nathaniel is a name I've never really liked. Why is it a mixture of Nathan and Daniel? 😂

Definitely Arthur! It's adorable. Although I cannot imagine a teenage Arthur.

My 17 yo nephew is a teenage Arthur - I can 100% imagine it HmmGrin

ThatMintMember · 26/01/2026 14:25

Nathaniel is a name I've never really liked. Why is it a mixture of Nathan and Daniel? 😂

Definitely Arthur! It's adorable. Although I cannot imagine a teenage Arthur.

StripedVase · 26/01/2026 14:24

I love Nathaniel and Nate; I find Arthur massively overused for little boys of late, & yet also still sounds elderly to me!

Glittergargoyle · 26/01/2026 14:22

Nathaniel (providing you can cope with Nathan/Nate)

I find Arthur really meh. It's also the 4th most popular boys name in England and Wales (if that bothers you)