Today I was talking to a friend of mine and we were discussing names for children. I’d told him I already had my names picked out, so he asked me what they were.
As soon as I mentioned [name]Nathaniel[/name], he responded with: “No, no, no, noooooo. [name]Don[/name]'t name your son [name]Nathaniel[/name]. [name]Don[/name]'t do it.”
I asked him why, and explained why I loved it so much, and he told me that every [name]Nathaniel[/name] he’d met or heard of had been - in a nice way to say it, a wimp/punk. He then mentioned three Nathaniels that he’d known over the years, and I unfortunately couldn’t argue against it because I know of a [name]Nathaniel[/name] who was a bully yet turned out to be cowardly.
I’m very curious to the personalities of other Nathaniels people have met, or known. Any other personality profiles that match? Or that differ?
I’m actually really tempted to cross [name]Nathaniel[/name] off my list because of the high occurrence of negative personalities that seem to follow the name. Which would suck because I seriously adore the name, the look, the sound, the nicknames, the meaning, everything.
I only know one [name]Nathaniel[/name] and he is lovely! Down to earth, trustworthy and really genuine guy 
I understand about associating personalities with names, I have never met a [name]Benjamin[/name]/[name]Ben[/name] who wasn’t full of themselves or pigheaded but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t [name]Ben[/name]'s out there who are genuine and great guys!
I don’t know any Nathaniels. But these are some men I don’t believe were (are) punks who bore the name:
[name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Hawthorne[/name] - author of The [name]Scarlett[/name] Letter, The Blithedale [name]Romance[/name], The House of the [name]Seven[/name] Gables.
[name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Lord[/name] [name]Britton[/name] - botanist who founded the beautiful [name]New[/name] [name]York[/name] Botanical Gardens.
[name]Nathaniel[/name] [name]Parker[/name] - gorgeous English actor.
[name]Nathaniel[/name] Ayers - the musician the movie The Soloist is based on.
Then there’s the fictinal one…
[name]Nathaniel[/name] in The Last of the Mohicans.
Erm, I’ve met several Nathaniels, none of which seemed to have that image! I know there was a [name]Nathaniel[/name] who went to school with one of my sisters–I never really knew him terribly well, but he seemed kind, respectful, a bit shy, but he genuinely seemed to be a nice kid.
The [name]Nathaniel[/name] that sticks with me the most, though, is a regular who came into the Taco [name]Bell[/name] I worked at a couple months ago. I don’t know, it’s not like he was that talkative, so I don’t know him amazingly well, but he seemed like a good guy. Always determined to overcome obstacles, capable, gentlemanly. He’s deaf, he has cochlear implants, and he’s just overcome a lot, so I respect him for that alone. He is a nice guy. Or he was, three months ago before I got my new job. I couldn’t say if he’s changed or not.
I think it’s funny that that’s your assumption, or your friend’s, because all the Nathaniels I’ve known have been really great guys.
The only [name]Nathaniel[/name] I know was a jerk. Not really a nice guy at all. However, [name]Nathaniel[/name] is an awesome name. [name]Don[/name]'t let other people’s issues with names stop you from using a name you love.
I’ve known several Nathaniels in college. [name]One[/name] was one of my best friends, a really kind and fun guy. Another was a computer geek. Another was into sports.
Like dindlee said, I wouldn’t let someone’s own personal issues with a name stop you from using it. It’s a great, classic name. Maybe your [name]Nathaniel[/name] will finally change his perception. It’s not like you’d be naming your kid [name]Lucifer[/name] or anything like that.
Personally, I’ve had an issue with the name [name]Paul[/name]. All the Pauls I’ve known have been nasty people. But I still know it’s a great classic name and I wouldn’t automatically judge someone negatively upon first meeting them if they had the name [name]Paul[/name].
My nephew is [name]Nathan[/name] (just [name]Nathan[/name] so I don’t know if that makes a difference for you) and frankly, he’s one of the most spoilt, whiny, clingy, rude children I know. Because of that and the other four (FOUR) [name]Jonathan[/name]'s in my immediate family, I will never use any [name]Nathan[/name]- name.
I know of 2 [name]Nathaniel[/name]'s ([name]Nathan[/name]), 1 being a punk/goth but he was lovely - [name]One[/name] of my close friends from school Dont talk no more though. The other was lovely I never had no problems with him.
I have known 2. [name]One[/name] was athletic and nice. The other was a nice family man. No bad experiences here. I get what he is saying though. I don’t know if I have ever met a nice [name]Jason[/name].
I’ve only known one and he was super nice.
I think it’s kind of funny to judge a name based on the collective personality of others with that name.
I can totally understand if a name is soured for you by it reminding you of a not very nice person, but I hardly think that the name is the problem if you happen to know of a handful of mean guys who bear the name. Seems like basing a choice on coincidence and hearsay.
I’ve never known a [name]Nathaniel[/name] myself so I can’t answer that question. When I was about 20, [name]Nathaniel[/name] was one of my favourite names and when I was imagining what my [name]Nathaniel[/name] would be like, I pictured a redhead (possibly because the first [name]Nathaniel[/name] I ever heard of was the one on Promised [name]Land[/name], or possibly because I had a big crush on [name]Rupert[/name] Grint at that time in my life, hahaha), and bookish. I don’t think I would have said “wimpy”, because I don’t find [name]Daniel[/name] or [name]Nathan[/name] to be wimpy, but I do think they’re soft and smooth… this is a good thing.
I definitely don’t think [name]Nathaniel[/name] would be wimpy, but for some reason, I don’t really picture a jock being named [name]Nathaniel[/name]… however, [name]Nathaniel[/name] easily lending itself to [name]Nate[/name], I see that as a more “athletic” name, but obviously a [name]Nathaniel[/name] could be an athlete, a math wiz, an artist, an adventure-seeker, or anything else. Each kid is an individual, and I’ve never come across any name where everyone I’ve met with that name has been exactly the same. I had 12 students named [name]Mikel[/name] last year and each one was very distinct.
My little cousins name is [name]Nathaniel[/name], and he is the sweetest kid on earth!
We have friends who just had a [name]Nathaniel[/name] and he is darling! Of course, he’s only a month old.
I knew several Nathaniels when I was teaching. [name]One[/name] was somewhat handicapped but the toughest (in a good way) and most determined boy I ever had in any class. I cherish the letter he wrote me to this day. Another was a kind and thoughtful little guy who grew into a kind and thoughtful teenager.
Its not their names that make them who they are.
My cousin is [name]Nathaniel[/name] and I know a little [name]Nathaniel[/name] both called [name]Nat[/name]. My cousin I haven’t seen for years as he lives in [name]Melbourne[/name] but the little one is crazy.
Its still a great name.