Nathan

Some names arrive with a meaning that sounds like a job description. Nathan is one of them. It's Hebrew, and it means giver. Just that. Not a warrior, not a king, not a beloved-of-anyone. A giver. If you're the sort of parent who'd rather raise a kind child than a conquering one, that's a very good start.

There's a softness to the sound as well. Two syllables, nothing sharp, a name that doesn't need to raise its voice. And yet it's not wet. Nathan has plenty of backbone; it just doesn't feel the need to prove it in the first five minutes.

Nate, obviously

The nickname practically comes free with the box. Nate is one of those shortenings that manages to feel cooler than the original without being an entirely different name. Nathan is the one on the school register, Nate is the one everybody shouts across the football pitch. You get both, and he can decide which one he is on any given Tuesday.

It's doing well across the world too, and doing especially well in the cold and French-speaking bits of it. Nathan is number 13 in Canada and number 33 in France, which is a rather elegant pair of results. It's 55 in the United States and 89 in England & Wales, then holds its own in New Zealand, Brazil, Catalonia and Mexico City. That's the profile of a name that translates easily and gets on with everybody, which is roughly what you'd hope for from something that means giver.

A fairly eclectic gang

The namesakes are pleasingly varied. Nathan Söderblom was a Swedish clergyman and archbishop, which gives the name some serious, candlelit gravitas. Nathan Fillion, the Canadian-American actor, brings a lighter touch. And for anyone who'll be reading this with a controller in their other hand, Nathan Drake is a character from the Uncharted video game series, so the name has also spent a fair amount of time on an adventure. Archbishop, actor, adventurer: not a bad range.

On a shortlist it slots in easily. Nathan sits well with Lucas and Ethan, and it makes a lovely contrast with Emma or Chloe. These are names with the same friendly, modern-classic feel: familiar enough that nobody stumbles, fresh enough that they don't feel like they've been dug out of a drawer.

The only thing you might miss is a bit of drama. Nathan doesn't make a splash. It's not going to be the name people remember from the register on the first day. But it wears wonderfully, which is what matters at three, at thirteen and at thirty.

So, a giver. A generous, easy, well-travelled name with a ready-made nickname and a good heart. Is it the name? Lovely if it were. But you know how this goes: you'll be sure of it at breakfast, half-sure by lunch, and back to the big list by the time the kettle's on. The name may be about giving. Choosing it is mostly about taking your time.