Nataniel
A Hebrew name meaning "gift of God", close kin to Natan and Natanael. It crested in the 2010s and has been easing off since: still given, just less each year, and almost always to boys.
Nataniel Pronunciation
Nataniel is pronounced nah-TAH-nyel (/naˈtaɲɛl/).
What Nataniel means
Where Nataniel comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Nataniel comes from Hebrew, built from the verb natan, "he gave," and el, a name for God. Put together, the parts mean "gift of God," or in Polish dany od Boga. The shorter Natan carries the giving alone, while Natanael keeps the fuller shape closer to the Hebrew Netanel.
The Gospel of John names a Nathanael among the first followers of Jesus, a man from Cana in Galilee. Later tradition sometimes identified him with the apostle Bartholomew. That bearer fixed the name in Christian usage, and versions of it spread across Europe with the scriptures.
In Poland the spelling settled as Nataniel, with the h dropped and the ending softened. A boy called Nataniel today might sit beside a Natan in the same class register. Both go back to the same Hebrew root. The meaning stays legible: gift of God.
When Nataniel celebrates name day
Nataniel appears 1 time in the Polish name day calendar, never as a main name. The first of these dates is 4 February.
Rarer dates. Only the most complete calendars add this name on these days. Most skip them, so hardly anyone celebrates then.
How many people are named Nataniel
1 in 2801 men in Poland is named Nataniel. 7,628 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #410 among male names.
Nataniel's popularity over time
198 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #186 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2000.
Where parents choose Nataniel
Nataniel is most popular in Silesian, 33% above the national average (266 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Podlaskie (+28%) and Kuyavian-Pomeranian (+25%). It is least common in Masovian and Łódź, 30% and 23% below average respectively.
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Silesian
+33%1 in 856 babies
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Podlaskie
+28%1 in 889 babies
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian
+25%1 in 904 babies
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Masovian
−30%1 in 1,610 babies
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Łódź
−23%1 in 1,473 babies
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Greater Poland
−17%1 in 1,362 babies
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Silesian+33% 266 born1 in 856 babies+33%
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Podlaskie+28% 74 born1 in 889 babies+28%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian+25% 121 born1 in 904 babies+25%
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Subcarpathian+25% 133 born1 in 907 babies+25%
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Lubusz+21% 53 born1 in 937 babies+21%
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Holy Cross+15% 56 born1 in 990 babies+15%
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Lublin+12% 101 born1 in 1,017 babies+12%
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Opole+8% 44 born1 in 1,048 babies+8%
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Pomeranian+7% 139 born1 in 1,060 babies+7%
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Lower Silesian+5% 145 born1 in 1,084 babies+5%
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West Pomeranian−2% 73 born1 in 1,157 babies−2%
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Warmian-Masurian−4% 61 born1 in 1,177 babies−4%
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Lesser Poland−13% 175 born1 in 1,297 babies−13%
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Greater Poland−17% 158 born1 in 1,362 babies−17%
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Łódź−23% 86 born1 in 1,473 babies−23%
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Masovian−30% 220 born1 in 1,610 babies−30%
Nataniel as a middle name
Nataniel is a first name for 7,628 men in Poland and a middle name for another 1,217, an 86/14 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 214th, between Josef (1,243) and Manuel (1,207).
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#212 Jacenty1,247
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#213 Josef1,243
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#214 Nataniel1,217
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#215 Manuel1,207
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#216 Edwin1,185