Nathanson Last Name: Meaning and Heraldic Roots

Not every Nathanson is related, but the name itself grew out of Nathan. The name is usually explained as “Descendant of Nathan (gift of God)”.

Nathanson and Nathan

Nathanson adds a patronymic ending to Nathan, marking ‘son of’ or ‘of the family of’. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. You may also find the name written Natan and Nattan.

The 2010 US Census counted 1,936 people named Nathanson, ranking it number 15,217 among American surnames.

Heraldry and the Nathanson name

Arms linked to Nathan and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

Get the complete Nathanson report, with a museum-style coat of arms.