# Nathan

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈneɪθən/ · frequency rank #5,817

## Definitions
1. An Old Testament prophet who advised King David.
2. The fourth son of King David and father of Mattatha
3. A male given name from Hebrew, of Biblical origin.
4. An English surname originating as a patronymic.
5. An Ashkenazi surname from Hebrew [in turn originating as a patronymic], a variant of Natan.
6. A suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; named for Matthew Nathan, 13th Governor of Queensland.

## Etymology
From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.

## Easily confused with
- **nation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nathan-vs-nation)
- **Nath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nath-vs-nathan)
- **naan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/naan-vs-nathan)
- **natal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/natal-vs-nathan)

## Common misspellings (9)
`anthan`, `nahtan`, `natahn`, `nathann`, `nathhan`, `nathna`, `natthan`, `nnathan`, `ntahan`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nathan