Is Nat short for anything?

Yes. Nat is a nickname in most old records, and it usually points to Nathaniel. Less often it stands in for Nathan, Natalie, and Natalia. Expect it in American and British records, mostly 1600s-1900s. A record that says Nat and a record that says Nathaniel can easily be the same person, so search both names before you rule anyone out.

Loading tool…

FAQs

Is Nat a nickname?+

In old records, almost always - it stands for Nathaniel or Nathan. Treat it as a pointer to a formal name until the documents prove otherwise.

Is Nat a real name on its own?+

It mostly rode on Nathaniel in the eras we track (1600s-1900s). If your ancestor's papers only ever say Nat, record it as written and keep Nathaniel as a candidate.

How does this nickname lookup work?+

It searches a curated dataset of historical nickname-to-formal-name mappings - in both directions - entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our servers.

Start with one relative and see what comes back.

Add what you remember and AncestorIQ searches for the rest. Free to build your tree for as long as you like.

Start your tree, free

No credit card needed. Your tree stays yours.